(Venezuela) – On 7 March, at the request of the Bolivian Republic of Venezuela, the Regional Centre emitted legal opinions on the State’s draft bill of law related to firearms. This legal assistance assessed the level of compatibility between the proposed bill and the obligations found under the various firearms-related international instruments, including the UN 2001 PoA, International Tracing Instrument, CIFTA Convention, and the UN Firearms Protocol. Moreover, the Centre provided a series of recommendations on how to make this draft legislation more consistent with global and regional legal instruments. By working hand-in-hand with States to revise national firearms legislation, UNLIREC is able to help them build more robust legal frameworks with a view to identifying and addressing legal gaps in legislation and thus avoiding impunity in cases related to illicit firearms trafficking.
This legal assistance to Venezuela complements the support provided to other States in the region, representing the fourth of its kind in the last 18 months.