From 17 to 19 April, as part of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap initiative, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), carried out technical assessments of state armouries in St. Kitts and Nevis.
During the assessment the UNLIREC’s Technical advisor reviewed the weapons and ammunition management practices implemented at the facilities. This assistance aims to strengthen the physical security and stockpile management practices in St. Kitts and Nevis, to prevent diversion of weapons and ammunition from governmental arsenals into illicit markets. The assessment was conducted in accordance with international guidelines including the United Nations Modular Small-arms-control Implementation Compendium (MOSAIC) and the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG).
In addition, on 19th April, UNLIREC also met with government representatives to present preliminary findings from the visit and to coordinate future activities in line with the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap and St. Kitts and Nevis’ National Action Plan to combat illicit firearms trafficking.
UNLIREC, as the regional office of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), seeks to advance the cause of practical disarmament in Latin America and the Caribbean as part of its commitment to support Member States in their implementation of international disarmament and non-proliferation instruments, in particular the 2001 UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons. This assistance was made possible with the generous financial support of the government of United States of America.