Since 2001, the effort to stop the illicit spread of small arms and light weapons (SALW) has been firmly established on the international political agenda. However, there are obstacles that are slowing its progress:

• Governments are often not as eager to control guns, as their public declarations would lead one to believe.
• There is still a lack of reliable information on production, flows, uses and stockpiles of small arms.
• Many countries lack the qualified personnel, the institutions and the equipment they need to control small arms.

Therefore, one of the ways to promote small arms control around the world is to help governments and organizations that are working in the field of small arms control, and the population affected by the problems arising from the spread and misuse of small arms and light weapons, to acquire the capacities they need. Training not only provides people with the technical skills and knowledge they require, but also teaches them to acknowledge and understand the underlying issues.

Training and Education on Small Arms (TRESA) is a project of the Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC) funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development (BMZ). TRESA develops curricula, training material and other tools for SALW control training. The project designs and implements a methodology and practice for the delivery of configurable, assessed training tools and courses related to SALW control.

The objective of TRESA is to develop training material, curricula and other tools for training and education on SALW control, based on specific, clearly identified and articulated needs.

We recognize that control of SALW is dependent on a number of factors, ranging from perceptions of personal security to issues of international trade. TRESA is intended to address only one of those factors: the need for training, at various levels, in operationalizing SALW control.

TRESA therefore intends to provide an overall system for the design, testing, implementation, and evaluation of SALW control training materials that can be applied throughout the world.

These objectives specify some of the parameters within which TRESA is functioning. They include:

1. Identify clear and specific needs in the realm of SALW control.
2. Identify shared issues and major problems of SALW control worldwide.
3. Develop curricula for SALW control, which can be modified as necessary to meet specific local conditions and issues.
4. Develop training methods appropriate for a range of clients, local circumstances, and specific conditions.
5. Preference for training methods that are deliverable independent of expert management and control.
6. Field testing and evaluation of these curricula and methods, and
7. Disseminate information about them, their availability, and their utility to as broad a spectrum of clients and potential clients as possible.

1. TRESA products are freely available to users that meet minimum standards of quality control.
2. Courses are constructed of modules to enable an easy adjustment to specific local conditions and the needs of different groups of clients in varied locales.
3. Training material is constructed in such a way as to encourage input and modification by clients to meet their specific needs and conditions, while ensuring that the core objectives of the course or module are maintained.
4. There must therefore be a clearly articulated definition of the objectives of all training materials, a clear understanding and expression of the didactic principles and teaching skills required, and a process of recording and analyzing the results, to ensure a proper quality assurance environment.

TRESA activities are intended to be inclusive, including different target groups, ranging from government officials and inter-state organizations to local communities and NGOs. TRESA welcomes suggestions and possibilities of training for all aspects of SALW control, and is open to possibilities of other training modalities, subjects, and target groups as they may emerge from time to time.