Jun 7, 2017 | Uncategorized
The United Nations Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) held a Practical Seminar: Fulfilling Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) reporting obligations in the CARICOM region from 6-7 July in Bridgetown, Barbados.
The purpose of this Seminar was to provide practical insights into the Arms Trade Treaty’s reporting requirements in order to increment the submission rate and quality of ATT and other relevant reports on an annual basis by CARICOM States. Fifteen representatives from ten CARICOM states participated in the activity (Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Suriname.)
The Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Attorney General in Barbados, Deborah Payne, participated in the opening ceremony of the Seminar, where she stated: “As representatives from a small island developing state, we can relate to the reporting burden which treaties demand. This concern has been raised by several member states….The adoption of comprehensive reporting templates and the making of public reporting mandatory have been key objectives of some member states. Barbados shares that view, but also asserts that consideration must be given to those states for whom reporting is a challenge”
The seminar was delivered by the UNLIREC Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Programme team and participants benefitted from technical experts from the governments of Sweden and Costa Rica, and the CARICOM Implementing Agency for Crime and Security. Presentations and practical exercises were designed to support them in preparing the initial and annual reports and understanding how to set up an ATT national control system.
This seminar forms part of UNLIREC’s Arms Trade Treaty Assistance Package and was entirely funded by the Government of Sweden. Through its assistance to Latin American and Caribbean States, UNLIREC supports improvements in peace, security, and in implementing the Arms Trade Treaty.
Jun 4, 2017 | Uncategorized
The United Nations Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) held a Practical Seminar for the Implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty from 6-7 April in Bogota, Colombia.
Representatives of the institutions that make up the National Coordination Committee for the Prevention, Combat, and Eradication of Illicit Trafficking in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects (Comité TIA), participated in this seminar held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The seminar was delivered by the UNLIREC Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Programme team and attended by officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Directorate of Tax and Customs (DIAN, for its initials in Spanish), the National Police, the Arms Trade Control Department, The Military Industry (INDUMIL, for its initials in Spanish) and other representatives of the Ministry of Defense.
Participants received information aimed at incorporating treaty obligations into the national system that controls the international transfers of conventional arms, their ammunition, and their parts and components. UNLIREC presented various illustrations of control systems with a focus on the operations to be undertaken, their composition and functioning, as well as inter-institutional cooperation mechanisms, and examples of practices in other States at the regional and international levels.
In addition, a working session was devoted to presenting the methodology of an export evaluation, prepared by UNLIREC, which gathers a series of criteria and sources of information to analyze prior to authorizing an export request in accordance with the requirements of the Treaty.
This seminar forms part of UNLIREC’s project entitled ‘Mitigating the Risk of Arms Divergence to Reduce Armed Violence in Latin America and the Caribbean’, which is funded by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany. Through its assistance to Latin American and Caribbean States, UNLIREC supports improvements in peace, security, and in implementing the Arms Trade Treaty.
Apr 19, 2016 | Uncategorized
The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) continues to support State Parties in the region to implement the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). On 19 April 2016, UNLIREC – in collaboration with the Institutional Directorate on Public Security Affairs (DIASP) inaugurated its Arms Trade Treaty Implementation Course (ATT-IC) in Panama.
20 participants, representing nine institutions, analyzed the arms trade context in Latin America and the Caribbean, classified arms and elements under the application of the Treaty, tested their knowledge of the regulatory provisions that need to be applied, and familiarized themselves with end-use and end-user documentation. Responding to an explicit request by Panamanian authorities, UNLIREC`s team of experts dedicated a session on analyzing the ATT obligations on the transit of conventional arms. In this regard, they presented different national control system models, with the goal of providing examples that could inspire Panama in its own design of its national control system. UNLIREC concluded the course by conducting two practical exercises, one of which was dedicated to the evaluation of a transit request, in line with the ATT obligations, from the perspective of the national control authority.
The ATT-IC course, which is four days in duration, has the objective to provide States Members with sufficient tools to ensure the effective implementation of the Treaty so that adequate control mechanisms can be established for all international transfers of arms, ammunitions and their parts and components in order to avoid their illegal diversion and their use in criminal activities.
Thanks to the financial support of Germany, this training course and all instruction materials are available to ATT States Parties in Latin America and the Caribbean. To date, 21 countries in the region have ratified the ATT, which came into force on 24 December 2014: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Costa Rica, Dominica, The Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay.
For more information about UNLIREC, visit (www.unlirec.org) or contact Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer (cowl@unlirec.org).
Oct 13, 2015 | Uncategorized
The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) continues to support States in the region to implement the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). On 13 October, UNLIREC and Guatemala’s Ministry of National Defence, inaugurated UNLIREC’s Arms Trade Treaty Implementation Course in Guatemala City.
The 29 participants from 8 different institutions, increased their knowledge on the classification of conventional arms, identification of trends in the arms trade, and on national control systems of exportation and importation. Following the theoretical part of the course, an interactive practical exercise was conducted on arms transfer assessments in the regional context. During this activity, a model end-user certificate was presented to participants, which succeeds at standardizing international best practices to reduce the risk of arms, ammunition, parts and components being diverted to illicit channels. The course was imparted by UNLIREC experts in collaboration with the DIGECAM legal department, which shared its national experiences.
The four-day course aims to provide States with sufficient tools to ensure the effective implementation of the Treaty so that adequate control mechanisms can be established for all international transfers of arms, ammunition and their parts and components in order to avoid their illegal diversion and their use in criminal activities.
Thanks to the financial support from donors, the course and instruction materials are available to all ratifying States in Latin America and the Caribbean. To date, 16 countries in the region have ratified the Treaty, which entered into force 24 December 2014: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belice, Costa Rica, Dominica, La República Dominicana, El Salvador, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, México, Panamá, Paraguay, Santa Lucia, San Cristóbal y Nieves, San Vicente y las Granadinas, Trinidad y Tobago, y Uruguay.
For more information on UNLIREC visit (www.unlirec.org). Please direct all questions or inquiries to Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer (cowl@unlirec.org).
Feb 28, 2015 | Uncategorized
The United Nation Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) continues to support Latin American and Caribbean States with the aim of assisting them in the implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). In this regard, UNLIREC delivered a new course on ATT implementation from 28-30 January in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, with the financial support of Germany, Spain and Australia.
Officials from the Ministries of Interior and Police, Defense, as well as staff of the Directorate of Customs, Senate of the Republic, National System of Arms, National Police and General Attorney participated in the intense three-day training event. All participants increased their knowledge on classification of conventional arms, identification of trends in arms trade, and analysis of national control systems of exportation and importation. Following the theoretical part of the course, an interactive practical exercise was conducted on arms transfer assessments in the regional context. During this activity, a model end-user certificate was presented to participants, which succeeds at standardizing international best practices to reduce the risk of arms, ammunition, parts and components being diverted to illicit channels.
Both the Brigadier General Ricardo Rosa Chupany, Vice Minister for the Arms Control of the Ministry of Interior and Police, and the Director of UNLIREC, Melanie Régimbal, highlighted the need to strengthen capacity to ensure robust implementation of the Treaty, greater success in combating illicit trafficking in conventional arms, and improved security across the region.
Thanks to the financial support from donors, the course and instruction materials are available to all ratifying States in Latin America and the Caribbean. To date, 16 countries in the region have ratified the Treaty, which entered into force 24 December 2014: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and Uruguay. In the coming months, it is expected that other countries in the region will join the group of ratifying States.
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).
