The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) continues to assist States in the region in their efforts to effectively implement the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). On 19-20 April, UNLIREC and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Guatemala held a Technical Workshop to Analyse Legislative Loopholes in the Implementation of the ATT.
The workshop was second of the project activities funded by the Arms Trade Treaty Voluntary Trust Fund, of which Guatemala is a beneficiary state and in which UNLIREC, at the request of the Guatemalan authorities, is an implementing partner.
The workshop was directed to national authorities from sectors involved in controlling conventional arms transfers or from other areas responsible for the implementation of the ATT. As such, the workshop had 23 participants from various state entities, such as Directorate-General for the Control of Arms and Ammunition, National Civil Police, Customs Authorities, INTERPOL, Directorate-General for Private Security Services, as well as the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
UNLIREC presented the preliminary conclusions of its analysis of the Guatemala´s national legislation and its compliance with the treaty provisions. This presentation opened the dialogue seeking to identify gaps in the legislation and to propose ways to amend it to advance in the implementation of the legislative ambit of the treaty. The discussions contributed towards an improved final legislative review document as well as towards the establishment of a set of practical recommendations, aiding the national process of effectively complying with the international instrument.