From 10 – 14 June 2013, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affair’s Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) and the Government of Guyana conducted a joint national baseline assessment on capacities and needs in the area of stockpile management and destruction. This mission is the first step in the formulation of a national action plan (NAP) for weapons and ammunition destruction to be jointly implemented by UNLIREC and the Government.
The draft NAP will include recommendations for assistance in the areas of stockpile management, firearms and ammunition destruction; legal and policy review and development; and training and capacity-building of law enforcement officials, including Guyanese participation in a Caribbean Regional Armoury Management Training Course. The assistance provided by UNLIREC will contribute to the combat of illicit trafficking of firearms, ammunition and explosives and thus to greater security in Guyana and in the region. UNLIREC assistance to the Government of Guyana is made possible thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of State.
UNLIREC, the regional arm of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, is based in Lima, Peru and serves 33 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. A key element of UNLIREC’s mandate is to assist States in the implementation of arms control and disarmament programmes, such as the implementation of the 2001 UN Programme of Action on Small Arms.
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].