Aug 26, 2013 | Uncategorized
On 26 August 2013, the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs – in its role as President of the National Commission against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and Other Related Materials (CONATIAF, for its acronym in Spanish) organized a “Specialized Workshop on Firearms and Ammunition: Mechanisms and Control Measures”.
The main purpose of the workshop was to engage in focused dialogue with CONATIAF members concerning implementation of the obligations found in the different international firearms instruments.
At the request of CONATIAF, UNLIREC delivered presentations on the definitions and classifications of firearms, ammunition and explosives according to the United Nations system, and addressed the key provisions stipulated in the international instruments regarding the marking of firearms and ammunition.
UNLIREC’s “Technical Guidelines for the Marking of Small Arms and Ammunition” formed the basis of conversation for debate among authorities on marking issues. The guide is a tool aimed at facilitating the standardization of firearms and ammunition marking practices in the Latin American and Caribbean region. This technical guide is based on the International Small Arms Control Standards (ISACS) and the best practices of States in the region. The main advantages of marking firearms is to facilitate tracing, information exchange , improve firearms control and stockpile management, as well as to strengthen regional and international cooperation in terms of controlling legal trade and combating illicit trafficking. Marking is one of the most effective measures to control firearms proliferation and engage in investigations dealing with firearms trafficking and/or their unlawful use.
Authorities from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the CONATIAF, as well as legal representatives attended the one-day workshop. The different working groups of CONATIAF will follow up on advancing and strengthening the implementation of the instruments and their obligations with a view to limiting the harmful impact illicit firearms trafficking has on public safety and security.
For more information on UNLIREC visit (www.unlirec.org). Please direct all questions or inquiries to Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer (cowl@unlirec.org).
Jul 24, 2013 | Uncategorized
The II Specialized Workshop on International Best Practices on Export Controls took place in Mexico City from 24-26 July 2013 to advance national implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004). The meeting was organized by the Secretariat of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (OAS/CICTE) and the Government of Mexico, in collaboration with the United States Export Control and Related Border Security Program, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, and the UNSCR 1540 Committee.
The workshop gathered 40 specialists from the ministries of Economy, Industry and Trade, Foreign Affairs, Customs authorities, and other institutions with responsibilities in export control and the implementation of UNSCR 1540, with a view to strengthening Mexico’s national exports control system. The workshop served to share international best practices on export controls, exchange information and intelligence, engage in advanced risk analyses, and discuss options for licensing processes.
Building on the strong partnership between UNLIREC and the OAS, UNLIREC was invited as a feature speaker to contextualize progress made in the implementation of UNSCR 1540 in the region. UNLIREC focused on the importance of international cooperation to effectively combat WMD proliferation, and the role played by UNODA in support of the UNSCR 1540 implementation. This workshop forms part of the activities that have been undertaken in support of Mexico’s 1540 action plan, developed in collaboration with CICTE/OAS and UNODA.
For more information on UNLIREC visit (www.unlirec.org). For enquiries, please contact Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer (cowl@unlirec.org).
Jul 10, 2013 | Uncategorized
From 7 to 18 October 2013, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) – in close collaboration with the Ministry of Defense of Suriname – conducted a 10-day training course at the Ministry of Defense in Paramaribo on combating illicit firearms trafficking for Surinamese security and justice sector officials.
This inter-institutional course – the first of its kind carried out in Suriname – resulted in the training of 44 law enforcement officers including police, customs and intelligence officials, armed forces, airport security and correctional services officials, among others whereby participants bolstered their ability to undertake firearms investigative techniques in keeping with international standards and best practices. Participants received specialized training in the following areas: technical aspects of weapons and ammunition identification, intelligence gathering and crime scene management, tracing and preparation of evidence in criminal proceedings, as well as practical small arms control measures, such as weapons destruction and stockpile management. The course also covered cross-cutting issues related to the use of force, gender awareness and child protection.
Since 2004, UNLIREC has trained over 3,500 law enforcement officers throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, strengthening the capacities of States in the region to address the problem of the proliferation of and trafficking in illicit firearms and ammunition.
This training activity forms part of UNLIREC’s Firearms Assistance Package for Caribbean States. At the request of the Government, UNLIREC extended this Assistance Package to include Suriname in 2013, which also contemplates technical assistance on stockpile management, firearms and ammunition destruction, as well as recommendations on legal reforms and updates to the national firearms act. Additionally, in parallel to the law enforcement training course, national authorities organized a roundtable meeting for policy makers during which UNLIREC presented its legal firearms comparative study. The activities carried out in Suriname were made possible thanks to the financial support of the Government of the United States of America.
UNLIREC serves 33 countries in the region in assisting them in the development of disarmament policies and the implementation of international disarmament instruments, most notably the UN 2001 Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons.
For more information on UNLIREC visit [www.unlirec.org]. Please direct all questions or inquiries to: Ms Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer, at [cowl@unlirec.org].
Jun 17, 2013 | Uncategorized
On 28 June 2013, in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, the Minister of National Security, Senator the Honourable Emmanuel George, and the Director of the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), Ms. Mélanie Régimbal, inaugurated the Caribbean Regional Armoury Management Training Centre.
Secure stockpile management represents an excellent safeguard against the diversion of weapons into illicit channels, while safer storage facilities also result in fewer accidental stockpile explosions that can harm innocent people living in close proximity to stockpile facilities. It is in this context that UNLIREC and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago joined forces to establish the Regional Amoury Management Training Centre with a view to creating long-term human resource capacity for technical armoury management across the entire region. This initiative forms part of a wider UNLIREC Caribbean Firearms Assistance Package, which has trained more than 3,500 government officials in the combat of illicit trafficking and destroyed more than 40,000 weapons and 56 tonnes of ammunition. This component was made possible thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of State´s Bureau for International Security and Non-Proliferation.
The Centre, which is expected to service more than 100 regional armourers from various security forces (police, defense, prison and customs) in the coming years, is housed at the Police Service (TTPS) Academy at the St James Barracks, Trinidad and Tobago. The Police Academy was chosen based on its high standard of excellence for training due in large part to the capacity of Academy personnel and the quality of its infrastructure.
UNLIREC held the first national armoury management course from 17-28 June. The 12 Trinidad and Tobago participants increased their ability to manage, store, secure, inspect, maintain, repair and destroy small arms and ammunition in keeping with internationally-accepted norms. UNLIREC will work with this twin-island State in delivering a regional course for 13 countries across the Caribbean in November 2013. Additional courses are currently being planned for 2014 in which armourers trained in 2013 will have a chance to share their knowledge and expertise with future course participants giving life to the ‘training-the-trainers’ concept. This phased approach to armoury management training will result in a pool of professionals responsible for securing the storage of weapons and weapons accountability at a regional level, thus contributing to reducing the risk of proliferation.
UNLIREC, as the regional organ of the UN Office for Disarmament, seeks to advance the cause of practical disarmament in Latin America and the Caribbean as part of its commitment to support Member States in their implementation of international disarmament and non-proliferation instruments, in particular, the UN 2001 Programme of Action on 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).
Jun 8, 2013 | Uncategorized
On 02 August 2013, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament, and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) officially handed over to the Government of Suriname a set of hydraulic shears, for the destruction of small arms and a Small Arms Ammunition Burning Tank (SAABT) for the destruction of small arms ammunition and explosives. Both of these pieces of equipment were provided to Suriname with a view to ensure permanent indigenous capacity for regular destruction of weapons and ammunition.
From 31 July to 02 August, 27 persons from the Security Assistance Department (BBS), Suriname Armed Forces (SAF), Police (KPS), Customs and Prisons (DZ) were trained in the maintenance and operation of the hydraulic shears, resulting in the destruction of more than 50 surplus and obsolete firearms, parts and components.
These specialized destruction tools complement the delivery of 40 padlocks and hasps also provided by UNLIREC to national authorities for enhancing the security of strategic stockpile facilities, thus contributing to preventing theft, loss and diversion of firearms and ammunition to illicit actors. Both sets of equipment will bolster Suriname’s ability to combat illicit trafficking in firearms and reduce and prevent armed violence.
UNLIREC will be returning to Suriname in September 2013 to conduct training on use of the SAABT and to support further destruction of surplus, obsolete and seized weapons, ammunition and explosives.
The donation of this equipment and technical assistance forms part of a wider UNLIREC programme for firearms destruction and stockpile management support to Caribbean States aimed at combating illicit trafficking by reducing the risk of theft and diversion from government holdings of firearms, ammunition and explosives. The activities carried out were made possible thanks to the financial support of the Government of the United States of America.
As the Regional Centre of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, UNLIREC serves 33 States in the region in assisting them in the development of disarmament policies and the implementation of international disarmament instruments, most notably the UN 2001 Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons.
For more information on UNLIREC visit (www.unlirec.org). Please direct all questions or inquiries to Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer (cowl@unlirec.org).
May 27, 2013 | Uncategorized
The Secretary General of the Andean Community of Nations (CAN) and the Republic of Ecuador, in its role as President Pro-tempore of the CAN, organized the Second Governmental Experts Workshop on the Marking of Weapons, from 27 to 28 May, 2013, in Quito, Ecuador. The workshop aimed to make progress towards the consolidation of a technical and legally-binding proposal to standardize the marking of small arms and their ammunition in the Andean Region. The event was attended by 46 delegates from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, as well as representatives from the UN Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) who participated in the process as technical advisers.
Source: UNLIREC
