The USD 245,400 Grant Agreement for the EXPLODE+ project represents an additional contribution by the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the destruction of unstable ammunition in BiH, through activities that will take place until 30 November 2019.

“Disposing of dangerous ammunition significantly increases community security, and the project will also help BiH join the European Union, in particular with regard to Chapter 24 on Justice, Freedom and Security. The project has multiple benefits in stepping forward – for Bosnia and Herzegovina, for local communities, the European Union and international institutions, and we look forward to working together in the coming year,” says H.E. Dr Reinout Vos, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to BiH, on the occasion of contract signing with Sezin Sinanoglu, Resident Representative of the UNDP in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the presence of Boris Jezeraškić, Assistant Minister of Defence of BiH for procurement and logistics. 

UNDP is since 2013 continuously carrying out support activities to the Ministry of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina aimed at destroying unstable ammunition. This support is implemented through the EU-funded EU STAR project (worth EUR 2.8 million) and the EXPLODE+ project co-financed by the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Government of the Kingdom of Norway.

“Through this project, we have built strong partnerships and succeeded to jointly destroy most of the surplus. Unsafe and unstable ammunition is a problem that remains in BiH. Part of the stock dates back to as far as the sixties of the last century, which is indeed a security risk not only for the local community population, but also for military personnel handling such ammunition or providing physical security of such ammunition. The focus of the project is also on knowledge transfer and capacity building so that those who handle such ammunition can work more efficiently and safely”, stressed Sezin Sinanoglu, UNDP Resident Representative to BiH. 

“The situation is now much better thanks to good cooperation across multiple fields; we have good results and very soon we will be in a position to perform and maintain resources at all sites in a regular and needed manner,” said Borislav Jezeraškić, Assistant Minister of Defence of BiH for Procurement and Logistics, and thanked the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and UNDP, as well as other institutions supporting the process of unsafe ammunition destruction.

Additional investment of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the implementation of EXPLODE+ project shows its continued commitment to supporting the development of Bosnia and Herzegovina and greater community security.