The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) conducted a training workshop on Best International Stockpile Management Practices and Standards in Santo Domingo from 22-23 April 2015.
The objective of this technical workshop was to provide specialized knowledge to government institutions with responsibilities in management and protection of firearms and ammunition. Through this event, UNLIREC trained 24 officials from the Department of Defense, Ministry of Interior and Police, Directorate General of Customs, Office of the General Prosecutor, National Police, and National Arms System in the implementation of UN International Small Arms Control Standards (ISACS) and International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATGs) regarding the stockpile management and storage of small arms and ammunition.
The workshop highlighted the definition and classification of firearms, ammunition and explosives; arms proliferation; dangerous materials; small arms and ammunition stockpile management; as well as risk management and security planning. Participants were able to combine theory with dynamics through a unique practical exercise.
Stockpile management is a crucial element in firearms control since it reduces the risk of theft and loss of arms and ammunitions and their diversion into illegal trafficking. Similarly, appropriate management and security of arms and ammunition reduce the risks of explosions and other human errors and/or natural disasters. It is expected that the workshop will contribute to the standardization of norms for state facilities to minimize the possibility of arms and ammunition leakage.
Upon culmination of the workshop, Dalma Diaz, Director of the Evidence Control Office in the Public Ministry in Santo Domingo, made the following announcement: “What has impacted me is to realize the amount of risks we take daily at our job. From this day on, we will start taking the necessary measures to minimize them.”
The technical workshop forms part of UNLIREC’s regional project ‘Preventing Armed Violence in Central America and the Dominican Republic through the Combat of Illicit Trafficking in Firearms’ financed by the Federal Government of Germany. By providing assistance to Latin America and Caribbean, UNLIREC contributes to improving public security and supports States implementation of the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (UN 2001 PoA).
For more information about UNLIREC, visit (www.unlirec.org) or contact Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer, at (cowl@unlirec.org).