Jun 24, 2012 | Uncategorized
On 26 April 2012 the United Nations Office for Disarmament’s Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) continued its assistance to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago in combatting illicit trafficking in firearms. In November 2011 UNLIREC assisted the Government in the destruction of 1,155 seized and surplus firearms and 5 tonnes of small arms ammunition.
On Thursday morning, 16,860 rounds of ammunition were destroyed at the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force Teteron Barracks using a Small Arms Ammunition Burning Tank (SAABT) designed and commissioned by UNLIREC and donated to the Trinidad and Tobago Government. Two law enforcement officials from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Force were trained in the operation of the SAABT, thus further enhancing indigenous capacity.
UNLIREC has also procured for the Government a set of Hydraulic Shears. Training for security sector personnel on use of the shears will take place on 18 May 2012 at which time a further 300-400 firearms will be destroyed. The destruction of firearms and ammunition in cooperation with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago is part of their joint efforts to combat the illicit trafficking in firearms, strengthen the capacity of the country’s security forces and reduce armed violence in Trinidad and Tobago
The destruction activities are made possible with the financial support of the US Department of State Office for Weapons Removal and Abatement. It is part of UNLIREC´s Caribbean Assistance Program, launched in Trinidad and Tobago in July 2010 and carried out in eight Caribbean countries with the financial support of Canada and the USA.
The Office for Disarmament Affairs’ Regional Disarmament Centres, which includes UNLIREC, serve over 135 countries worldwide and assists them in the implementation of arms control and disarmament programmes, such as the implementation of the 2001 UN Programme of Action on Small Arms.
Jun 24, 2012 | Uncategorized
From 24 – 29 June 2012 the United Nations Office for Disarmament’s Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) assisted the Government of Trinidad and Tobago (GoTT) in the destruction of 1,131 surplus and obsolete small arms, including semi-automatic machine guns, pistols and revolvers. The weapons were destroyed at the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) Teteron Barracks using a combination of hydraulic shears and disc saws provided to the Government by UNLIREC. The destruction process included independent monitoring and verification undertaken by UNLIREC personnel.
A ceremonial destruction and closing ceremony took place on 29 June at the Teteron Barracks. During the ceremony, Chief of Defence Staff, Brigadier Kenrick Maharaj; Heads of Divisions; and members of the diplomatic community were addressed by Lt Col. Darnley Wyke of the TTDF; Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of National Security, Dr Wendy Quamina-Yorke; and UNLIREC Senior Programme Officer, Ms Juliet Solomon.
The destruction activities are made possible with the financial support of the US Department of State´s Office for Weapons Removal and Abatement. These activities form part of UNLIREC´s Caribbean Assistance Programme, launched in Kingston, Jamaica in April 2010, and carried out in eight Caribbean countries with the financial support of Canada and the USA. Since October 2011, UNLIREC has assisted the GoTT in the destruction of 2,286 surplus, obsolete and confiscated small arms, more than five tonnes of small arms ammunition and has provided equipment and training in order to guarantee permanent national capacity for weapons and ammunition destruction.
The Office for Disarmament Affairs’ Regional Disarmament Centres, which includes UNLIREC, serve over 135 countries worldwide and assists them in the implementation of arms control and disarmament programmes, such as the implementation of the 2001 UN Programme of Action on Small Arms.
The destruction of firearms and ammunition in cooperation with the GoTT is part of joint efforts to combat illicit trafficking in firearms, strengthen the capacity of the country’s security forces and reduce armed violence throughout the country.
For more information on UNLIREC visit [www.unlirec.org]. Please direct all questions or inquiries to: Ms Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer [cowl@unlirec.org].
May 15, 2012 | Uncategorized
El Centro Regional de las Naciones Unidas para la Paz, el Desarme y el Desarrollo en América Latina y el Caribe (UNLIREC) de la Oficina de Asuntos de Desarme de las Naciones Unidas, con el apoyo financiero de la Oficina para la Eliminación y Reducción de Armas del Departamento de Estado de Estados Unidos, ha procurado y enviado al gobierno de las Bahamas un equipo de cizallas hidráulicas con el fin de asegurar que gobierno tiene una capacidad permanente de recursos humanos y técnicos para destruir las armas de fuego excedentes, decomisadas u obsoletas.
La entrega de estas cizallas forma parte del Paquete de Asistencia para la Destrucción de Armas de Fuego y Gerencia de Arsenales de UNLIREC que se orienta a la lucha contra el tráfico ilícito de armas al reducir el riesgo de robo, desvío de la posesión del gobierno de armas de fuego, municiones y explosivos excedentes, decomisados u obsoletos. De acuerdo al Paquete de Asistencia, UNLiREC ya ha realizado una evaluación nacional en línea base y ha proporcionado candados estándares internacionales para mejorar los niveles de almacenamiento y seguridad en los arsenales claves del gobierno.
La Fuerza Real de la Policía de las Bahamas recibió las cizallas para su instalación. El 14 de mayo de 2012, UNLIREC proporcionó capacitación de éstas a 16 oficiales de la Fuerza Real de la Policía, la Fuerza Real de Defensa, las Prisiones de Su Majestad, Aduanas e Inmigraciones de las Bahamas que resultó en la simbólica destrucción de 42 armas.
Adicionalmente, la asistencia por parte de UNLIREC al Gobierno de las Bahamas y a los demás países del caribe beneficiados, de acuerdo al Paquete de Asistencia para el periodo Junio 2012 – Mayo 2013, incluye entre otros:
Desarrollo de metodologías de verificación y seguimiento de armas independientes.
Establecimiento de métodos seguros y eficientes para la destrucción y disposición de armas de fuego, municiones y explosivos excedentes basados en estándares de la ONU.
Examinación legal de la legislación nacional y regulaciones en el Caribe para asegurar al Estado conforme a los instrumentos internacionales claves.
May 14, 2012 | Uncategorized
(Lima) – Within the cooperation framework established between the Organization of American States (OAS) and UNLIREC, a study has been undertaken to ascertain the extent to which the Inter-American Convention Against Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and Other Related Materials (CIFTA) has been implemented. UNLIREC completed a comparative legislative study for 12 States in the region. The studies will be presented at the Third Conference of the States Parties to be held in Washington DC on 14-15 May 2012.
Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela all formed part of the study. In the case of Guatemala and Panama, having already participated in the 2010 Central American study, they were updated to reflect the new national legislation on firearms, ammunition and explosives. The studies on the Central American States were presented by the OAS and UNLIREC in connection with the working meeting entitled “legislative progress to prevent and combat illicit firearms trafficking in Central America” in September 2011 at the SICA headquarters in El Salvador.
It is important to note that CIFTA is currently the only legally binding regional instrument for Latin America and the Caribbean, and has been ratified by 31 States in the region. The Convention emphasizes the need for permits or licenses for export, import and transit and the strengthening of checkpoints for exports, among others.
May 12, 2012 | Uncategorized
On 29-30 November 2012, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, through its Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) in collaboration the Ministry of Security of the Republic of Argentina trained 30 officials on firearms and ammunition stockpile management risk assessment and security planning. Officials were trained from the key federal law enforcement agencies including the Federal Police, Airport Police, National Gendarmerie and the Coast Guard.
In August 2012 UNLIREC signed an agreement with the Ministry of Security of the Republic of Argentina to provide technical assistance in the area of small arms, light weapons and ammunition stockpile management. To date, UNLIREC has supported the Ministry in undertaking baseline assessments of federal stockpile facilities and in making recommendations for essential improvements to infrastructure, standard operating procedures and the training of personnel.
The assistance that UNLIREC provides to the Government of Argentina is based on the draft UN International Small Arms Control Standards (ISACS) and the UN International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG). Efforts to build government officials’ stockpile management capacities and improve infrastructure of facilities where weapons, ammunition and explosives are stored are essential measures for preventing theft, loss and diversion, as well as accidents. Such measures are key commitments taken on by States within the framework of the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects.
For more information on UNLIREC, please visit: www.unlirec.org.
Please direct all inquiries to: Ms. Carina Van Vliet, Political Affairs Officer (vanvliet@unlirec.org).
Apr 16, 2012 | Uncategorized
On 16 April 2012, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, through its Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), launched a training course to combat illicit firearms trafficking for security sector officers of Member States of the Caribbean region.
The 10-day training course is scheduled to run until 27 April 2012, in Port of Spain, with the support of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago.
This regional Inter-Institutional Training Course on Combating the Illicit Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition and Explosives (IITC) will train more than 50 security sector and law enforcement officers from 12 Member States of the Caribbean region: Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Participants will learn interactive firearms investigation techniques, 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 disarmament measures such as weapons destruction and stockpile management. The course also covers cross–cutting issues related to the use of force, gender awareness and child protection. The sub-regional course will introduce new issues, such as maritime security, container search and identification of armed individuals.
Since 2004, UNLIREC has trained over 3,000 law enforcement officers in 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.
This training course is part of UNLIREC’s Firearms Assistance Package to Caribbean States, which began in 2010, with the financial support of Canada and the United States of America.
UNLIREC´s Assistance Package strengthens State capacity to implement relevant international and regional disarmament instruments such as the United Nations Programme of Action on Small Arms and the CIFTA Convention.
In parallel to this sub-regional training course, UNLIREC will also provide technical assistance to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago in the destruction of surplus and obsolete firearms and ammunition.
