Skopje, 6 October 2022 (MIA) - The Interior Ministry (MoI) in cooperation with UNDP launched Thursday a campaign to raise awareness about the dangers arising from carrying and using small arms and light weapons. It mainly aims at warning the public about the consequences from illegal use of small arms and light weapons especially during celebrations, and at reducing the number of shooting-related incidents. Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski said the fight against the illicit trade of arms is his ministry's strategic priority. "As a result of intensified activities in the field, last year recorded quite significant results as regards the rising number of detected crimes and the rising quantities of seized weapons, ammunition and dispersion of substances. In parallel, we're actively working to raise public awareness about the dangers from using firearms," Spasovski said addressing the official launch of the campaign. We, he stressed, together with UNDP are determined to work on prevention as well in direct contact with the citizens. The new campaign will be simultaneously conducted both in North Macedonia and Kosovo as part of a project on cross-border integrated institutional approach in the fight against illicit trade with small arms and light weapons. According to the Deputy UNDP Resident Representative, Sanja Bojanic, we will manage to reduce the number of gun-related incidents only if we all work together to meet the goal. The citizens, she said, have to aware that they are the key actors and that they shouldn't reach for guns during celebrations and parties. The UNDP is committed to building safe communities by increasing public awareness and continuous cooperation with the MoI and the national partners," Bojanic said. The EU-supported campaign is funded by the governments of Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, the Netherlands and Norway through the Multi-Partner Trust Fund.