On 28 November, UNLIREC´s Caribbean Control List was presented as part of a sub-regional workshop on Strategic Trade Controls Enforcement co-organized by the World Customs Organization and the UN Regional Centre on Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC). The four-day workshop held in the Dominican Republic brought together customs and law enforcement officials from over ten countries in the Caribbean region.
The purpose of the workshop was to train the participants in detecting strategic trade items and to support participating states in fulfilling their obligations under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 (UNSCR 1540). The resolution requires states to put in place relevant regulatory national mechanisms to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. In 2017, UNLIREC launched a sub-regional guide to control lists, specifically addressing the needs of the states in the Caribbean region. The guide analyses the trade patterns in the region and directly supports effective implementation of UNSCR 1540. UNLIREC presented the adjoined Control and Focus Lists during the workshop, concentrating on the strategic goods and technology featured most prominently in Caribbean trade.
Furthermore, the Dominican Republic presented their national experience in the enforcement of strategic trade controls. The state representative noted, in particular, the valuable support provided by UNLIREC´s legal team and trade control experts during the legislative review and in developing a tailor-made national control list.