Within the framework of the technical assistance that the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) provides to the Dominican Republic in the implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), UNLIREC held a Technical Workshop on International Standards on Physical Security and Firearms and Ammunition Stockpile Management with the support of the Ministry of Interior and Police (MIP) of the Dominican Republic.
The workshop was held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Interior and Police in Santo Domingo on November 26 and 27 and was aimed at representatives of national institutions responsible for the physical security, management and control of state stockpile of firearms, ammunition and explosives. This workshop was attended by authorities and officials from the Ministry of the Interior and Police, Ministry of Defense, members of the National Police, Army, Navy and Air Force, General Directorate of Customs, members of the Ballistic and Biometric Laboratory of the National Weapons System (LABBS, in Spanish), the Attorney General’s Office and representatives of the Judicial Branch with competence in the safeguarding of firearms, ammunition and explosives.
During the course of the workshop, the technical aspects and classifications of Small Arms and Light Weapons, ammunition, explosives and hazardous materials were addressed, the International Standards for the Control of Small Arms (ISACS/MOSAIC), the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATGs) were presented, and special mention was made of risk assessment in stockpiles, security plans and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Participants had the opportunity to be trained in the efficient management of firearms, ammunition and explosives stockpiles, in order to minimize the possibility of theft and loss of weapons, ammunition or explosives, and their diversion into illegality. The workshop also included a practical component aimed at applying the theoretical instruction received and reducing to the minimum acceptable level the security risks of storage facilities in terms of natural disasters, explosions and other incidents.
The Workshop fostered an in-depth exchange of ideas among the participants, favoring the identification of areas of vulnerability and challenges of inter-institutional work to strengthen physical security and stockpile management as arms control measures.
The technical assistance provided by UNLIREC included the Technical Workshop and subsequent visits to different state and judicial arms and ammunition depots at the national level.
Since 2015 UNLIREC has been supporting the efforts of the Dominican Republic to implement its obligations under the Arms Trade Treaty through various projects. This Workshop is part of the ATT Voluntary Trust Fund (VTF) project, of which UNLIREC is a technical implementing partner of the Dominican Republic in the ATT implementation.