Signing the Grant Agreement on allocation of 630,000 US dollars for the “EXPLODE+” Project, the Royal Norwegian Government joined the activities of disposal of unstable ammunition in BiH, which will be implemented by the UNDP in the next year.

“We regard Assistance to Ammunition disposal in Bosnia and Herzegovina a humanitarian and security priority. It is a direct contribution in providing the support to the efforts of MoD of Bosnia and Herzegovina in ammunition stockpile reduction and sustainable management system establishment. With this contribution trough UNDP`s Urgent Action on Ammunition Destruction (Explode + project), MOD will be able to dispose large quantities of obsolete and unsafe ammunition items, of different caliber and models, that pose direct safety as well as security threat to storage locations, local communities but even to wider region.“, said H. E. Ms. Guri Rusten, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to BiH during the ceremony of signing the agreement together with Sukhrob Khoshmukhamedov, Deputy Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in BiH.

The UNDP implements intensive activities aimed at destruction of unstable ammunition, primarily through the EU STAR Project (the amount of 2.8 million EUR), financed by the European Union and implemented by the UNDP BiH in partnership with the Ministry of Defense of BiH, as well as the  “EXPLODE+” Project, co-financed by the funds of the Royal Norwegian Government, Government of the Netherlands, and the Government of Germany.

“The today’s agreement is another recognition of successful implementation of demanding tasks of unstable ammunition disposal we implement in partnership with local and international institutions. The support of the Royal Norwegian Government will undoubtedly contribute to faster solution of the problem the unsafe and unstable ammunition poses for security of local communities and military personnel. The “EXPLODE+” Project shows that much more can be achieved through joint and coordinated activities for the benefit of all,” said Sukhrob Khoshmukhamedov, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in BiH.

With the additional investment in implementation of the “EXPLODE+” Project activities, which will be implemented until 30 November 2019, the Kingdom of Norway shows its continuous commitment to support of development of Bosnia and Herzegovina and better security of the communities.