As part of its technical assistance package to strengthen the implementation of UNSCR 1540 (2004), the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) partnered with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) from 19-20 August 2015 to conduct a risk management table top exercise in maritime security in collaboration with the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of National Security. Over 15 stakeholders from various agencies and institutions engaged in active discussions around a series of potential threat scenarios and cases presented by the IMO experts. Participants addressed issues relating to inter-institutional coordination, adoption of preventive and reactive measures to certain threats, review of existing operating procedures at the various agencies and existing legal framework establishing roles, and responsibilities of relevant institutions.
This table top exercise, aimed specifically at addressing the obligations on adoption of border control measures contained in operative paragraph 3 of resolution 1540 (2004), complements UNLIREC’s work in Trinidad and Tobago in other critical areas, such as modernization of legislation, export controls and identification and handling of nuclear, chemical or biological material, which could be used for proliferation purposes.
This represents the fifth activity conducted by UNLIREC in the country since the beginning of the programme in early 2014, and forms an important part of the training component of the national action plan outline that UNLIREC has been discussing with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all of the relevant stakeholders over the past few months. The basic action plan outline has several components, one of which is the provision of training in several fields relating to the implementation of the resolution, including in the area of border controls.
UNLIREC has reaffirmed its commitment to continued collaboration with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to further strengthen the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) in the country. Following a concrete request from the Ministry in December 2014 within the context of the broad assistance package that UNLIREC is rolling out in Trinidad and Tobago, specific work plans have been drafted with the Ministry of National Security’s anti money laundering division establishing activities and work sessions aimed at assisting the government’s efforts to adopt measures to prevent the financing of proliferation, and a work session with practitioners is being discussed for October. This is an area directly related to operative paragraph 2 and the obligation to refrain from financing any of the activities indicated in the previous operative paragraph of the resolution.
Consultations are also due to commence in the near future with the Ministry of Legal Affairs to discuss the legislative framework and the recommendations made by UNLIREC in the legal study presented in 2014.
UNLIREC will maintain its partnership with the IMO to deliver similar risk management courses in other target states in the Caribbean. Belize has indicated its interest in hosting training of this nature, and discussions are currently underway to establish a date for a two-day course in October 2015.
This exercise forms part of UNLIREC’s 1540 Assistance Package for Caribbean States with the financial support of the United States Department of State´s Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation.
For more information about UNLIREC, visit (www.unlirec.org) or contact Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer, at (cowl@unlirec.org).