The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean

Ensuring proper integration of small arms control and nonproliferation measures into efforts to combat Transnational Organized

CrimeOAS Meeting of National Authorities on Transnational Orgnanized Crime

Washington, D.C.24/25 April 2014

Brussels, May 2012

75% of homicides in LAC region w/firearms

Involves Organized Crime, gangs and common crime

Transnational illicit traffickingo Falsified shipping and end-user documentso Hidden in commercial cargo containers and

transporto Ant trade across borders

Internal domestic illicit ‘trafficking’o Theft and diversion from state and private

arsenalso Straw purchases (*ammunition)

Background

UN Programme of Action on Small Arms (2001)o Preamble – link to CTOC and Firearms Protocolo Article III.15 – assistance linked to TOC frameworks

International Tracing Instrument (2005)o Preamble – link to CTOC and Firearms Protocolo Article III.8.b – marking of imported weapons

Arms Trade Treaty (2013)o Preamble – link to CTOC and Firearms Protocolo Includes ammunition, parts and components o Article 7.1.iv – Export Assessment (organized crime)o Articles 9 -11 – Transshipment, Brokering and Diversion

UNSC Resolution 1540*

Synergies between international arms control and disarmament instruments and TOC frameworks

Reduce supply of weapons and ammunition available to illicit actors & increase cost of armed

violence

Small arms control and nonproliferation toolkit of national measures

that support efforts to combat TOC

Stockpile Management

Objective• Reduce TOC access to state stockpiles of weapons and

ammunition

How?• ISACS and IATG• Record-keeping• Marking and tracing• Enforcing safety and security measures

UNLIREC assistance to date• Argentina (w/MinSeg and 4 Federal forces)• Dominican Republic (Armed Forces)• Guatemala (judicial holdings)• CARICOM States (all 13 Member States)• Peru (Ministry of Interior)

Weapons Destruction

Objectives• Avoid re-entry of weapons into illicit channels• Permanently reduce number of weapons in illicit circulation

How?• ISACS and IATG (SOPs)• Providing technical equipment• Supporting and monitoring destructions

UNLIREC assistance to date• > 250 officials trained (SOPs, ISACS, IATG)• 60,000 weapons and 70 tonnes of ammunition destroyed since 2010 in Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Dominican Republic and 13 CARICOM Member Stats

Legal and Policy FrameworksObjectives

• Ensure robust legal frameworks and public policies to combat illicit weapons and ammunition trafficking

How?• Review of bills of law (dictums)• Specialized training for judges, prosecutors and other legal practitioners

UNLIREC assistance to date• Targeted legal advice to Barbados, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Jamaica, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela• > 20 national and regional seminars and • Support to national small arms control commissions in Guatemala, Ecuador and Peru

Security Sector Capacity-buildingObjective

• Ensure security and justice sectors have tools, knowledge and capacities to intercept, control and trace illicit weapons within TOC frameworks

How?• Specialized trainings for security and justice sector personnel - investigative techniques (IITC) - forensic ballistics - evidence management - marking & tracing - border surveillance and interventions• maritime security contexts

Achievements to date• < 1,800 officers trained since 2009 (25% women)

in 15 countries• < Colombia/Ecuador border training• integration with UNODC container search in T&T