From 7 to 11 November 2016, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) carried out a mission in El Salvador to advance towards the implementation of the activities that form part of the project entitled: Strengthening Oversight and Building capacities for Small Arms Control and Nonproliferation in the Private Security Sector.
Since July 2015, UNLIREC, in collaboration with the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF), provides technical assistance to the governmental authorities and to the private security sector in El Salvador to promote the regulation and arms control of the private security sector.
During the mission, UNLIREC and DCAF held meetings with various national authorities about the legal-technical support that the project can offer to reform processes to the private security Law. Furthermore, DCAF presented the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers (ICoCA) to several private security companies in order to share the scope and benefits of this initiative. The ICoCA compiles internationally recognized standards and good practices to ensure the good management and governance of the private security companies that voluntarily adhere to the Code.
Likewise, during its visit to El Salvador, UNLIREC team diagnosed the level of compliance of the International Small Arms Control Standards (ISACS) and International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATGs) in several security companies. Recommendations were made to increase the level of compliance through these guidelines aimed at improving the security of companies to prevent theft, as well as the diversion of weapons and ammunition to illegal actors.
Finally, UNLIREC carried out a two-day technical workshop on international standards for weapons and ammunition stockpile management. This is the second workshop that UNLIREC carries out in this country, addressed to operational staff of the companies providing security services. Participants received a training aimed to incorporate the physical security procedures in their weapons and ammunition stockpiles to minimize risks of weapons diversion into illegality.
This project is funded by the Federal Republic of Germany. Through this assistance, UNLIREC supports Latin America and Caribbean States in the implementation of the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (UN 2001 PoA).