UN Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and Caribbean Launches Arms Trade Treaty Implementation Course

NEW YORK, 10 October (Office for Disarmament Affairs) — In response to requests by States in Latin America and the Caribbean, and to help prepare them for the implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) has developed a practical training course on ATT Implementation (“ATT Implementation Course”)^*.  The training course was piloted at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in San Jose, Costa Rica, from 8-10 October 2014.  National operators dealing with the control of imports and exports of conventional arms attended the training, alongside relevant officials from other Central American States.

With financial support from Germany and Spain, the training course is available for interested States throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.  It aims to assist States in their efforts to create national control lists and responsibly evaluate the risks involved in conventional arms transfers, with modules on various topics including the technical aspects of conventional arms and their trade, legal requirements of treaty implementation, and arms transfer risk assessments.

The course also features a unique practical simulation, where participants play various roles to review transfer “cases”, and apply tools introduced in the classroom to determine whether the transfers should be “authorized”.  In addition, a model end-user certificate drawing on global best practices is provided to Member States as a starting point for strengthening arms transfer controls.  German funding has made possible an English-language version of the course, adapted to the Caribbean context, which will be piloted to assist Caribbean States.

Since the beginning of the ATT process over a decade ago, States in Latin America and the Caribbean have been highly active in supporting the Treaty.  So far, the following 15 States have ratified the Treaty: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and Uruguay.  Having secured the requisite 50 ratifications, the Treaty will enter into force on 24 December 2014.

For more information on UNLIREC visit http://www.unlirec.org.  Please direct all questions or inquiries to Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer, at cowl@unlirec.org.

* The course complements resources provided by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), including the UNODA ATT implementation toolkit.