Oct 29, 2014 | Uncategorized
UNLIREC has been working with the Government of Grenada to provide legal and technical assistance under its 1540 Assistance Package since early 2014. During the 1540 national roundtable held in June 2014, UNLIREC and Government stakeholders identified a series of existing training needs and institutional challenges and priorities with respect to non-proliferation issues, including border control measures to enhance security at ports and effective ways to deal with small vessel security. Consequently, UNLIREC liaised with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to organize a two-day table top exercise (29-30 October 2014) to identify good practice and strengthen maritime and port security measures.
The exercise brought together 24 government officials with responsibilities in maritime and port security, including the National Disaster Management Agency, the Port Authority and various departments in the Royal Grenadian Police Force including the Coast Guard, Port Security, Customs and Excise, Immigration and Fire Department. The Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Business, the Honourable Nickolas Skeete and the US Charge D´Affaires Mr. Louis Crishock were present at the opening ceremony, thus reflecting Grenada’s level of commitment to strengthening implementation of UNSC resolution 1540.
During the exercise, dialogue revolved around the current challenges facing the country in addressing port and maritime security while, crisis/incident management training and risk management, as well as the development of protocols and contingency plans were highlighted as priorities. A number of other issues and challenges were discussed, including the need for improved inter-agency coordination and utilization of resources, targeted exercises for senior level personnel (policy and managerial level), training for first responders, assistance to enhance the response of the Coast Guard, strengthening of related legislation and broad based education on existing legislation so that officials have a comprehensive understanding of the relevant laws and have a legal basis for intervention if necessary and continuous drills/similar table top exercises.
UNLIREC will continue to work together with the government to address these issues within the framework of the 1540 Assistance Package and the voluntary national action plan which the country is drafting.
UNLIREC continues to work with the Government of Grenada to strengthen the implementation of UNSC resolution 1540 and also looks forward to collaborating further with the International Maritime Organization and other agencies to strengthen border controls across the region.
For more information on UNLIREC, visit www.unlirec.org. Please direct all questions or inquires to Ms. Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer at (cowl@unlirec.org).
Oct 13, 2014 | Uncategorized
On 13-14 October 2014, UNLIREC convened a national roundtable on strengthening the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004) in Trinidad and Tobago. The roundtable was held in collaboration with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, with the financial support of the US Department of State´s Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation. The meeting formed part of UNLIREC’s 1540 Assistance Package for Caribbean States and was a follow up to the 1540 Committee´s Visit to Trinidad and Tobago in 2013.
The roundtable brought together over 25 representatives from various institutions and agencies in Trinidad and Tobago which have responsibilities in 1540 related matters, including the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, National Security, Health, Energy and Energy Affairs, Science and Technology, the Office of the Attorney General and representatives from the Office of the Prime Minister, among others. This meeting enabled UNLIREC to not only share the findings and recommendations of its national study on the country’s legislative framework on 1540 but also actively engage with different stakeholders, gather additional information on the implementation of the resolution in the country, and determine a series of priority areas for the delivery of further technical assistance in the coming months.
Representatives were forthcoming in presenting the specific challenges faced by their respective institutions, disclosing information related to the domestic legislative and regulatory framework as well as operational and enforcement challenges. Participants welcomed further support and a proactive engagement by UNLIREC to strengthen the implementation of the resolution.
UNLIREC looks forward to continued collaboration with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to further strengthen the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) in the country.
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)
Oct 10, 2014 | Uncategorized
In response to requests by States in Latin America and the Caribbean, and to help prepare them for the implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) has developed a practical training course on ATT Implementation (“ATT Implementation Course”). The course complements resources provided by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), including the UNODA ATT implementation toolkit. The training course was piloted at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in San Jose, Costa Rica, from 8-10 October 2014. National operators dealing with the control of imports and exports of conventional arms attended the training, alongside relevant officials from other Central American States.
With financial support from Germany and Spain, the training course is available for interested States throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. It aims to assist States in their efforts to create national control lists and responsibly evaluate the risks involved in conventional arms transfers, with modules on various topics including the technical aspects of conventional arms and their trade, legal requirements of treaty implementation, and arms transfer risk assessments.
The course also features a unique practical simulation, where participants play various roles to review transfer ‘cases’, and apply tools introduced in the classroom to determine whether the transfers should be ‘authorized’. In addition, a model end-user certificate drawing on global best practices is provided to Member States as a starting point for strengthening arms transfer controls. German funding has made possible an English-language version of the course, adapted to the Caribbean context, which will be piloted to assist Caribbean States.
Since the beginning of the ATT process over a decade ago, States in Latin America and the Caribbean have been highly active in supporting the Treaty. So far, the following 15 States have ratified the Treaty: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and Uruguay. Having secured the requisite 50 ratifications, the Treaty will enter into force on 24 December 2014.
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).
Sep 22, 2014 | Uncategorized
On the occasion of the International Day of Peace, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) held an event entitled The Impact of Stray Bullets in Latin America and the Caribbean, which took place on 22 September 2014 at the UN Common House in Lima.
Members of UNLIREC’s Public Security Programme presented an analysis of reported cases of stray bullets in Latin American and the Caribbean media during the period 2009-2013. This study examines stray bullets armed violence in order to share recommendations to prevent this phenomenon.
The study documented 550 cases of armed violence caused by stray bullets – resulting in 617 victims – as reported in the media in 27 different countries in the region. The cases were classified in the following categories: a) injury or death; b) gender; c) age; and d) types of armed violence.
Minors (under the age of 18) were 45% of all victims of stray bullets, with young adults (ages 18-29) representing 21% of victims. This means that 66% of all victims of stray bullets documented were young people under the age of 30. On the other hand, 43% of victims were women. Women represent a much higher percentage of stray bullets victims in comparison with armed violence in general (less than 20%).
The study also points out that the best way to tackle armed violence in general, and stray bullets specifically, is by integrating small arms control and armed violence reduction and prevention measures as integral parts of citizen security, crime and violence prevention frameworks. Moreover, the study suggests that States adopt legislative measures to criminalize ‘celebratory fire’ (shots into the air), along with public awareness and education campaigns to address the cultural aspects of this behavior.
As a means of recommendation, States should build the capacity of law enforcement personnel on the use of force, which goes beyond tactical training and focuses on the use of firearms by considering parameters of legality, necessity and proportionality.
UNLIREC hopes that this study sheds additional light on the phenomenon of stray bullets and the potential role that small arms control, armed violence reduction and other targeted measures can play in preventing more stray bullets and the disproportionate effect they have on women and young people.
The event was attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps, UN agencies, state institutions, civil society organizations, academia and member from the media.
For more information on UNLIREC visit (ww.unlirec.org). Please direct all of your questions or queries to Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer (cowl@unlirec.org).
Aug 19, 2014 | Uncategorized
The UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)— in cooperation with the UN Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) — held the second regional training-of-trainers workshop on the ISACS Assessment Tool on 19-20 August 2014 at the UN Office in Lima, Peru.
Thirteen staff members from UNLIREC, the Organization of American States (OAS) and the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) Colombia were trained on how to use the ISACS Assessment Tool and how to train others in its use. Sixty-two percent of workshop participants were female.
The workshop focused on using the ISACS Assessment Tool to guide operational work on small arms control in the Latin American region in areas such physical security & stockpile management, marking & record keeping, and border controls & law enforcement cooperation.
At the end of the course, participants exchanged views on the utility and applicability of the tool, including how it could support institutional and operational work on small arms control issues in the region. Participants appreciated in particular how the tool can assist with rapid priority setting and planning on small arms control measures, as well as with conducting comprehensive assessments of existing policies, programmes and operational practices.
An exit survey conducted at the end of the workshop indicated the potential use of the tool in strengthening the enforcement of existing CIFTA legislative frameworks, in particular through building capacity on small arms marking and recordkeeping. It was noted that the tool could be used to provide support to DDR processes, including on disarmament strategy, policy, and implementation.
This was the second in a series of six regional training-of-trainers workshops that UNIDIR is organising during the second half of 2014 in partnership with the ISACS Inter-Agency Support Unit. The first workshop was held in July in Belgrade, Serbia, for the Southeast Europe region, in cooperation with UNDP/SEESAC.
The remaining regional workshops will take place in the Caribbean (25-27 August in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, in partnership with CARICOM-IMPACS); East Africa (22-24 September in Nairobi, Kenya, in partnership with IPSTC, RECSA and UNREC); West Africa (November in Lomé, Togo, in partnership with UNREC); and Asia-Pacific (location and dates tbd, in partnership with UNRCPD).
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).
Aug 18, 2014 | Uncategorized
In October 2013, UNLIREC received funding from the US Department of State to roll out a technical assistance programme in the Caribbean region to strengthen the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540(2004), which establishes legally binding obligations on all UN Member States to have and enforce appropriate and effective measures against the proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons (WMD). Following consultations with the donor, the CARICOM Secretariat and other stakeholders, UNLIREC selected five countries for the first phase of the training, including Belize.
During a joint mission with the US Department of State’s Regional Advisor of the Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) Program from 18-21 August 2014, UNLIREC visited Belize to conduct high-level meetings with key stakeholders in the country to present the EXBS Regional Program and UNLIREC’s 1540 Programme as one of its components.
During discussions with the Attorney General Ministry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of National Security, the Belize National Coast Guard, the Department of Customs and Excise, the Port of Belize and the Belize Defence Force, officials expressed a keen interest in actively engaging in the activities conducted by both EXBS and UNLIREC, and indicated the importance of the objectives of those programmes for Belize.
Both UNLIREC and EXBS look forward to collaborating further with the Government of Belize in efforts to strengthen export control and border security, as well as the country’s implementation of Resolution 1540 (2004).
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).
