Dominican Republic submitted its voluntary national implementation action plan to the 1540 Committee in November 2015 demonstrating its commitment to the mandate of the UNSCR 1540 (2004) and aiding the country to implement its obligations. Within its action plan, Dominican Republic mapped out a series of specific objectives and activities as well as committed, as one of the country`s priorities, to strengthen its legal framework, including the modernization of WMD legislation.
Accordingly from 29 to 1 October 2015, a team of legal experts from UNLIREC traveled to Santo Domingo to hold a legal drafting session with Dominican counterparts. Upon request, UNLIREC’s legal specialists returned to the Dominican Republic from 5 to 6 April 2016, to follow up on the draft WMD law that was developed during the previous work-session and to provide comments and feedback. UNLIREC’s specialized legal team was joined by a former member of the Group of Experts to the 1540 Committee who provided technical support on the topic.
This work-session, which included 21 (5 female) legal advisors and representations from the various relevant institutions, focused on reviewing the draft WMD law in line with the provisions of Resolution 1540. In this regard, the discussions were focused on ensuring that the text of this document meets the obligations of this international instrument on the nonproliferation of WMD.
As a next step to this process, UNLIREC and the technical experts from Dominican Republic will continue reviewing the draft WMD law. Likewise, UNLIREC will support the country in developing additional subsidiary regulations including a national control list, once the bill of law is finalized.
This draft law constitutes a significant step forward in the country’s efforts to strengthen implementation of UNSCR 1540 (2004) and will provide Dominican Republic with a solid legal basis for adopting trade controls and measures to counter the proliferation of WMD.
For more information on UNLIREC visit (www.unlirec.org). Please direct all questions or inquiries to Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer (cowl@unlirec.org).