Jan 7, 2016 | Uncategorized
A table-top exercise on maritime security has been held in Kingston, Jamaica (30 June-1 July), organized by IMO in collaboration with the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC). The exercise was aimed at stimulating discussions and demonstrating the need for cooperation amongst government departments and agencies using a range of evolving scenarios related to maritime security and maritime law enforcement issues. Scenarios covered included threats to cruise ships, border security issues involving ports, airports and land border crossings, incidents potentially involving weapons of mass destruction, security-related health crisis, environmental threats such as oil spills, maritime safety inspections and dealing with illicit drugs’ consignments.
The event was organized to assist the Government of Jamaica in strengthening national implementation of aspects of UN Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004) that fall within the mandate of UNLIREC and the scope of IMO maritime security measures, including those under the International Ship and Port Facilities Security (ISPS) Code and the SUA treaties covering the suppression of unlawful acts against the safety of maritime navigation. Resolution 1540 (2004) addresses the threat of proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, including illicit trafficking in nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, to non-State actors, their means of delivery and related materials.
The exercise follows a series of similar events in other countries in the Caribbean region, conducted by IMO and UNLIREC.
Jan 3, 2016 | Uncategorized
The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) continues its progress in the implementation of its project entitled ‘Strengthening capacities for the effective and transparent management of small arms and ammunition in the private security sector‘.
In collaboration with the national directorate for the control of security services, firearms, ammunition and explosives (SUCAMEC), UNLIREC has promoted protocols, procedures and good practices in small arms and ammunition management in the private security sector, in line with the United Nations International Small Arms Control Standards (ISACS) and the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers (ICoC). The implementation of these standards improves the efficiency of small arms and ammunition inventory management in these companies to prevent accidents and avoid their diversion to illicit markets and actors.
As part of this project, UNLIREC assessed levels of compliance of three Peruvian private security companies with ISACS and made a number of recommendations for areas of improvement, such as infrastructure, physical security and inventory management. UNLIREC and SUCAMEC also supported these private security companies in strengthen their small arms and ammunition inventory management by facilitating the secondary marking of their small arms with laser technology to affix unique markings including the importer, year of import and end user. This marking process helps Peru comply with international and regional agreements on secondary marking of imported small arms. In addition, these markings allow for lost or stolen firearms to be traced more expeditiously.
UNLIREC`s ‘Strengthening capacities for effective and transparent management of small arms and ammunition in the private security sector’ project is financed by the Federal Republic of Germany and is implemented in collaboration with the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF). Its main goal is to promote internationally accepted standards, good practices and initiatives, such as the ISACS and the ICoC.
By assisting Latin American and Caribbean States, UNLIREC supports improvements in public security and the implementation of the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms (UN 2001 PoA).
For more information about UNLIREC, visit (www.unlirec.org) or contact Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer, (cowl@unlirec.org).
Nov 23, 2015 | Uncategorized
The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) carried out a mission to El Salvador on 23-27 November 2015 with a view to advancing the coordination and implementation of activities that form part of the project entitled strengthening capacities for the effective and transparent management of small arms and ammunition in the private security sector.
The main goal of the mission, carried out by UNLIREC, in conjunction with its partners in the Salvadoran government and the country’s private security sector, was to promote best practices in arms and ammunition management in private security companies based on the United Nations International Small Arms Control Standards (ISACS), in particular ISACS module 05.20 on stockpile management. The objective of this project is to prevent arms theft and the diversion of arms and ammunition from the private security sector into illegal channels.
Over the course of the week, UNLIREC experts analyzed the levels of ISACS compliance in five Salvadoran security companies and made recommendations for increasing those levels of compliance and improving security and management. Additionally, they met with arms manufacturers and arsenal managers from private security companies to follow up on the training they received in the UNLIREC stockpile management course imparted in July 2015.
Upon completion of the mission, all interested parties agreed upon the 2016 roadmap and the inclusion of secondary markings to arms belonging to security companies with the use of laser technology. This type of secondary marking helps to improve stockpile management and comply with international agreements on combating illicit small arms trafficking. The technical guidelines for the markings are based on various international instruments and on ISACS module 05.30 on marking and registry management.
The project entitled ‘strengthening capacities for effective and transparent management of small arms and ammunition in the private security sector’, which is financed by the Federal Republic of Germany, is implemented in association with the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF). Its main goal is to promote internationally-accepted standards, good practices, and initiatives, such as the ISACS and the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers (ICoC).
By providing assistance to Latin American and Caribbean States, UNLIREC supports improvements in public security and the implementation of the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms (UN 2001 PoA).
For more information about UNLIREC, visit (www.unlirec.org) or contact Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer, (cowl@unlirec.org).
Nov 23, 2015 | Uncategorized
The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), as a member of the United Nations Joint Programme entitled “Strengthening Human Security and Community Resilience by Fostering the Promotion of Peaceful Coexistence in Peru”, supported the launching and development of a campaign to prevent pyrotechnic incidents in Trujillo city from 23-28 November 2015. The “Safe and Happy 2015 Celebration” campaign is an initiative of the National Superintendence for the Control of Security Services, Arms, Ammunition and Explosives for Civil Use (SUCAMEC).
This nationwide campaign includes awareness-raising activities in schools and on public roads, broadcasting of radio and television advertisements, and the distribution of informative material. As a contribution to the Joint Programme activities for Human Security in Trujillo, this campaign succeeded at increasing the awareness among youth about both the dangers of using pyrotechnics and the safety measures to be taken when using them.
The awareness campaign activities were carried out in five educational establishments and reproduced in twelve additional schools via video, reaching approximately 11 million school-aged children in Trujillo. The main messages of this campaign were “pyrotechnics are not toys”, “all pyrotechnics are dangerous”, “children should not play with pyrotechnics”, and “only adults are allowed to handle pyrotechnics”. Thanks to the support of the United Nations Volunteer Program, this activity reached a greater part of the population and invigorated the awareness campaign, contributing to the creation of a social network in Trujillo.
The United Nations Joint Programme for Strengthening Human Security, which UNLIREC forms part, supported the “Safe and Happy 2015 Celebration” campaign within the framework of other activities carried out in collaboration with public institutions and local authorities in Trujillo aimed at reducing and preventing criminal activities, gender-based violence and youth involvement in crime.
For more information about UNLIREC, visit (www.unlirec.org) or contact Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer, at (cowl@unlirec.org).
Nov 16, 2015 | Uncategorized
From 16 to 20 November 2015, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) carried out, in collaboration with the Government of the Dominican Republic, a three-day training course on firearms forensic ballistic Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and a seminar on ballistic information exchange. This represents the second set of activities implemented by UNLIREC in the Dominican Republic as part of its Operational Forensic Ballistics (OFB) project for Caribbean States.
The three-day training course on Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in forensic ballistics enabled 23 participants, including forensic experts, firearms examiners, ballistic technicians and crime scenes analysts to increase their knowledge on topics such as validation of methods and calibration of equipment; examination of firearms, their parts and components; examination of ammunition; ammunition replica double-casting; and range of fire determination. For each SOP, participants demonstrated their acquired knowledge through practical exercises supervised by a firearms expert.
The seminar highlighted the importance of sharing information and coordination among actors engaged in criminal firearms investigations. The 14 participants included representatives of the forensic and police laboratories, relevant government ministries and academia. At the seminar, UNLIREC staff provided a review of information sharing strategies and best practices. Participants identified existing challenges and opportunities for cooperation.
This initiative is part of the UNLIREC Caribbean Operational Forensic Ballistics Assistance Package, which is made possible thanks to the support of the United States and Canada.
UNLIREC, as the regional centre of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), seeks to advance the cause of practical disarmament in Latin America and the Caribbean as part of its commitment to supporting Member States in their implementation of international disarmament and non-proliferation instruments, including the 2001 UN Programme of Action on the illicit trade in Small Arms.
For more information on UNLIREC visit (www.unlirec.org). Please direct all questions or inquiries to Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer (cowl@unlirec.org).
Oct 29, 2015 | Uncategorized
From 29 September to 1 October 2015, a team of legal experts from UNLIREC traveled to Santo Domingo to hold a legal drafting session on UNSCR 1540 implementation with counterparts from the Dominican Republic. UNLIREC’s technical experts were accompanied by a former member of the Group of Experts of the 1540 Committee who lent support to Dominican Republic delegates from the ministries of mines and energy, defense and the customs office to draft a law prohibiting non-State actors from developing, acquiring, manufacturing, possessing, transporting, transferring, using and financing weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and their means of delivery. The sessions also included dialogue on the establishment of adequate trade control measures for related material, as well as the adoption of effective physical accounting and protection measures for the production, use, storage and transportation of such material.
This draft bill, which is supported by several ministries and by the Office of the President, will be presented to the national parliament prior to the end of October. While the draft text is under revision, UNLIREC and the technical experts from the Dominican Republic will continue working on subsidiary legislation and additional regulations to develop certain aspects of the law, particularly those relating to the adoption of control lists, licensing and end user controls.
This draft law constitutes a significant step forward in the country’s efforts to strengthen implementation of resolution 1540 (2004), and will provide the Dominican Republic with a solid legal basis for adopting trade controls and measures to counter the proliferation of WMDSs. The creation of a national authority, responsible for overseeing the implementation of the law and authorizing the transfer of ‘proliferation-sensitive’ materials, is also envisioned in the country.
Moreover, during the visit, UNLIREC and an ad hoc committee made up of several institutions responsible for discussing and coordinating 1540-related matters, finalized the draft of the country’s voluntary national action plan. The government has indicated its intention to formally submit this plan to the 1540 Committee through the appropriate diplomatic channels. The adoption of this plan represents a substantial step towards effective implementation of the resolution, and will enable the country to establish concrete objectives, indicate its main training and technical assistance necessities to the international community, and reaffirm its commitment towards preventing WMD proliferation.
For more information on UNLIREC visit (www.unlirec.org). Please direct all questions or inquiries to Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer (cowl@unlirec.org).
