The newly refurbished and improved main armoury of Argentina’s Federal Police was unveiled by the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs – through its Regional Disarmament Centre (UNLIREC) – together with the Ministry of Security. Improvements to the Federal Police armoury were carried out based on technical recommendations made by UNLIREC in 2012 following a collaborative baseline assessment of eleven federal facilities and the development of a national action plan for their improved management.
The overall UNLIREC/Ministry of Security project aims to align stockpile facilities and practices with relevant international standards, such as the International Small Arms Control Standards (ISACS) and the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG). By building government officials’ capacities to effectively manage stockpiles and bolstering the infrastructure of facilities where weapons, ammunition and explosives are stored, the Government of Argentina significantly reduces the risk of theft, loss, diversion and accidents, in addition to improving its own operational efficiency.
In addition to the inauguration of the main police stockpile facility, 6,710 surplus weapons were crushed and smelted in a public-private partnership with a local metallurgical company. The destruction process was monitored and verified jointly by UNLIREC and the national firearms register (RENAR) in accordance with ISACS 05.50 Destruction: Weapons. These efforts supplement the Government´s national voluntary disarmament campaign, which has succeeded at removing over 145,000 small arms and more than 1 million rounds of ammunition from circulation.
The UNLIREC/Argentina partnership for the modernization of stockpile management is unique in that the Government of Argentina finances its own technical assistance through a broader United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Framework for improving knowhow and capabilities for planning citizen security policies. It is the aspiration of the Regional Centre that other Member States in the region will replicate this bilateral funding modality in the years to come.
Since 2004, UNLIREC has provided stockpile management and destruction assistance to 17 Latin American and Caribbean Member States through assessment, capacity-building and the provision of equipment resulting in the destruction of more than 550,000 surplus, obsolete and confiscated weapons and over 700,000 rounds of ammunition. The implementation of stockpile management and destruction measures is a crucial commitment taken on by States within the framework of the United Nations 2001 Programme of Action on Small Arms.
For more information on UNLIREC visit [www.unlirec.org]. Please direct all questions or inquiries to Ms Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer, at [cowl@unlirec.org].