Feb 2, 2016 | Uncategorized
As part of the integral technical assistance package that UNLIREC is delivering in Jamaica for strengthening the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004), the UNLIREC team worked together with officials from FBI to provide training for law enforcement officials for the detection and handling of sensitive dual use chemical materials and improvised explosives from 2-4 January 2016 in the country’s capital, Kingston. In particular, this initiative falls under operative paragraph 3 of UNSCR 1540, which calls on States to develop and maintain appropriate effective physical protection measures to account for and secure sensitive materials in production, use, storage or transport.
During the workshop, 30 participants from seven different government agencies, including the Police Force, Defense Force, Customs, Port Authority, among others, had the opportunity to study some of the main chemicals and potential explosive material that is readily available in the island. The theoretical sessions included a basic introduction to explosives and improvised explosives, detection of sensitive chemicals, processing of crime scenes and post blast scenarios. These sessions were further complemented by practical demonstrations at the range, where instructors conducted controlled explosions to demonstrate the potential risks of some of the elements procured.
Issues such as the importance of interagency collaboration for effective border controls, dialogue and outreach with the relevant industry, control lists for dual use chemicals and sustained training were highlighted during the course.
The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) is the only UN regional entity specialized in disarmament and non-proliferation in the Latin American and Caribbean region. Its main function is to translate the decisions, instruments and commitments of Member States in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation into action, at national, sub-regional and regional levels.
Nov 3, 2014 | Uncategorized
Representatives of the United States Department of Energy summoned various national authorities in Peru and a number of international experts from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, México, Panama and Peru to the UNLUREC headquarters in Lima from March 11-13, 2014, to discuss and present the basic components and content of an effective CIT training program.
Highlighting the importance of consolidating and implementing interinstitutional working groups, the purpose of the workshop was to identify best practice and lessons learned in countries that have already developed these courses and provide useful tools for strengthening existing programs or encouraging them in countries where they have not been developed.
As an example of best practice, UNLIREC presented the content and characteristics of its training courses and capacity building tools, referring mainly to its Inter-Institutional Course on Combating Illicit Firearms Trafficking (IITC).
UNLIREC´s participation in this workshop is part of its legal and technical assistance activities in the implementation of international instruments on non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
For more information about UNLIREC, visit its web page [www.unlirec.com]. For any questions, contact 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).
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).
