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UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs appoints Mr. Anselme N. Yabouri, as the new Director of UNREC. Mr.Yabouri took up his function on 1 September 2017.
Prior to this post, he was with several peacekeeping and peace-building missions in Eastern Europe and Africa in various capacities and most recently in Guinea Bissau as Head of Political Affairs of the United Nations Integrated Peace-building Office.
In a landmark development, senior political decision-makers and technical directors of the government of Mali have given their mark of approval to the PSSM Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) developed by United Nations Regional Center for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC) within the framework of the UNREC-led Physical Security and Stockpile Management –PSSM Sahel project. This important development was arrived at after intense consultations between Malian authorities and UNREC in September 2017 during which UNREC, in collaboration with the Malian National Commission for the Fight against the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons organized two back to back workshops in Bamako.
These workshops brought together over 40 political decision makers and national experts to comprehensively review the PSSM SOPs developed by UNREC based on the latest cutting-edge knowledge and technology, notably the International Small Arms Control Standards (ISACS) and the International Ammunitions Technical Guidelines (IATGs). These SOPs have also been designed to conform to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS’s) Small Arms protocol, which Mali has already ratified.
For Mali, which is facing an unprecedented security crisis, the control of small arms and light weapons (SALW) is a high priority for the country’s security agencies. The fallout from the Libyan crisis and the rise in extremism in the Sahel region have led to a high level of proliferation of illicit SALW in the region and is fuelling the activities of armed rebel groups, terrorists and organized criminal networks engaged in weapons, drugs and human trafficking activities. The combination of these factors and the negative impact on national security and the socio-economic development aspirations of the country have made the need to better secure and manage state stockpiles even more pressing. In this regard, the support provided by UNREC in developing and proposing the PSSM SOPs could not have been timelier.
During the four days of the workshops, security experts from the government of Mali and UNREC, comprehensively reviewed and discussed the details of the SOPs, in the process providing pertinent amendments, modifications and additions, in congruence with both the current and projected future needs of PSSM and SALW control in Mali.
A bonus gain of these highly participative events was the opportunity not only to convene the various SALW actors in the same venue and provide a forum to share perspectives and ideas, but also very importantly the opportunity to raise awareness and sensitize participants from the various sectors on PSSM and SALW issues. For instance, in the words of the Vice President of the National Assembly’s Security and Defense Committee “…the committee is now much better informed on the links between its work and PSSM and will definitely take this into account in its oversight and legislative work at the National Assembly”. Likewise, the ministries of justice an environment also expressed their satisfaction at being recognized and included as stakeholders in the SALW control sector.
Accordingly, in what can only be described as a major milestone in the collaboration between the government of Mali and UNREC on PSSM and SALW control, the amended and adapted SOPs document validated at the end of these workshops incorporated inputs from all relevant state sectors concerned with security and SALW control and management. As such, it enjoys a high level of ownership by the Malian counterparts and it is expected that under the able leadership of the National SALW Commission, the document will be fast tracked for adoption as the official national PSSM SOPs reference standard. It is noteworthy that this major development comes in the wake of yet another highly successful engagement in August 2016, during which UNREC supported Malian authorities in finalizing the draft proposed national firearms law. In the same spirit, UNREC will continue to remain at hand to provide as much support as will be needed by the Malian authorities in ensuring effective PSSM and SALW control throughout the country and the region.
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The illicit proliferation, circulation and trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) in the Sahel region and neighboring countries constitutes a threat to peace and security. This phenomenon has not only increased the impact and intensity of armed conflicts, but also led to a generalized insecurity hindering the economic, social and political development of countries in the region.
In order to bring a common and concrete response to address these challenges, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Sub Regional Platform for West and Central Africa organised a sub-regional symposium for the adoption of an Action Plan to fight against the proliferation of SALW in the Sahel region, which took place from 6 to 7 September 2017 in Abuja, Nigeria.
The symposium is the last step of the regional project «Assessment Survey on Small Arms in the Sahel Region and Neighbouring Countries», which was implemented in nine countries and financed by the Government of Japan.
For two days, the workshop gathered thirty representatives from National Commissions for the fight against the proliferation of SALW, Civil Society Organizations as well as national experts of the nine countries, namely Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal.
During the meeting, participants analyzed the results of the country-by-country survey, developed a common strategy to fight against the proliferation of SALW in the Sahel and formulated recommendations for the implementation of the Regional Action Plan on SALW control.
The establishment of this Regional Action Plan will make it possible to fill the regulatory, institutional and infrastructural deficiencies in the field revealed by the surveys. Through the implementation of this strategy, the countries concerned will continue their efforts in the fight against the illicit proliferation of SALW, in accordance with the relevant disarmament and legislative instruments, such as the United Nations Programme of Action Combating and Eradicating the Illicit Trade in SALW in All Its Aspects, the African Union Strategy on the Control of Illicit Proliferation, Circulation and Trafficking of SALW andAgenda 2063, which is the strategic vision for a prosperous and peaceful Africa, the ECOWAS and ECCAS conventions on SALW, among others.
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- Opening statement by Dr. Jiaming Miao, Deputy to the Director, Political Affairs Officer at UNREC
COMMUNIQUE DE PRESSE
Le Centre Régional des Nations Unies pour la paix et le désarmement en Afrique (UNREC), en collaboration avec les autorités nationales maliennes, organise une série d’ateliers sur le thème : « Validation des Procédures standards opérationnelles (SOP) et procédures administratives ». Les activités se dérouleront du 12 au 15 septembre 2017 à l’Hôtel Onomo de Bamako (Mali).
Ces ateliers s’inscrivent dans le cadre du projet « Sécurité physique et gestion des stocks (PSSM)» au Sahel cofinancé par l’Union Européenne et le Bureau des Nations Unies pour les affaires de désarmement (UNODA) et qui concerne six pays du sahel à savoir : le Burkina Faso, le Mali, la Mauritanie, le Niger, le Nigeria et le Tchad.
Le projet PSSM au Sahel porte l’appui des Nations Unies et de l’Union Européenne à la sécurité et à la stabilité dans la région du Sahel afin d’aider les Etats de cette région à prévenir le détournement et le trafic des Armes légères et de petit calibre (ALPC), ainsi que de leurs munitions, en améliorant la sécurité physique et la gestion de leurs stocks.
Cette seconde phase du projet vient après la première qui a consisté en un processus de présentation du concept PSSM aux acteurs concernés, de sensibilisation, d’examen des législations et des procédures administratives relatives à ce PSSM et de la tenue de consultations nationales, sous forme d’atelier dans les pays bénéficiaires. Cette phase initiale du projet a été bouclée par une conférence régionale des parties prenantes des pays bénéficiaires.
La phase actuelle du projet a deux composantes : le volet technique que constitue la réhabilitation des sites pilote de stockages des armes, et le volet renforcement de capacités que vise à développer des standards opérationnels et administratifs adaptés au contexte de chaque pays bénéficiaire.
Pendant quatre jours, les experts nationaux et internationaux œuvrant dans le domaine sécuritaire se pencheront sur la thématique en vue de passer en revue la situation PSSM et les questions pertinentes relatives au secteur de la sécurité dans la région du Sahel y compris au Mali. Il s’agira également d’examiner et valider les SOP et procédures administratives basées sur les normes et standards internationales que sont l’International Small Arms Control Standards (ISACS) et l’International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG).
The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC) and The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) sub regional platform for West and Central Africa are organising a symposium for the adoption of an Action Plan to fight against the proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) in the Sahel region. The activities will take place from 6 to 7 September 2017 at Bolton White Hotel in Abuja - Nigeria.
As the last step of the regional project «Assessment Survey on Small Arms in the Sahel Region and Neighboring Countries», the symposium is part of the implementation of the United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel (UNISS) and the African Union Strategy on the Control of Illicit Proliferation, Circulation and Trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons. It was implemented in the following 9 countries in the Sahel region and in neighboring countries: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal.
The Sahel countries remain vulnerable to the destabilizing effects of the insecurity resulting from armed conflicts, terrorist activities and others various types of illicit trafficking. The recent crises in the region have deepened this vulnerability with as consequences looting of state arsenals and increasing in the proliferation of illicit small arms in the region.
In support to national effort for fighting against the proliferation and illicit trafficking of SALW, UNREC and UNDP implemented this evaluation project which covered the legal aspects, political, economic, security, social, environmental and cultural dimension which allows a better understanding of the scope of the phenomenon.
The project was carried out in three phases. The preliminary documentary research has established a database of national mechanisms for fighting against the proliferation of SALW. This was followed by consultations with the stakeholders involved in the fight against the proliferation of SALW in the nine countries. This symposium, which is the third phase, marks the end of the project through the validation of the final report and the adoption of a Regional Action Plan on SALW control in the concerned region.
For two days, participants will set up a general assessment of all aspects of the project, analyze the results of the country-by-country survey, develop a common strategy to fight against the proliferation of SALW in the Sahel and formulate Recommendations for the implementation of the regional action plan on SALW control.
For more information, please contact: UNREC, Tel: (+ 228) 22535000
The present report contains an account of the activities undertaken by the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa from July 2016 to June 2017.
During the reporting period, the Regional Centre continued to assist Member States, at their request, and intergovernmental and civil society organizations in Africa to promote peace, security, disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation.
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5 - 6 July 20107. The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC), in cooperation with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and with support of the 1540 Committee Group of Experts, organized a workshop on the implementation of resolution 1540.
The main objective of the workshop was to facilitate the effective implementation of resolution 1540 by stakeholders in Mauritania and to assist the Government in drafting its first national report. It was the first activity organized by United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) through UNREC relating to the implementation of resolution 1540 in Mauritania.
The two days meeting brought together twenty two participants, including representatives from the Ministries of Interior, Trade and Investment, Foreign Affairs, Justice, Health, Agriculture, Mauritanian Defense Forces, Mauritanian Police Service, the Financial Intelligence Unit, Customs and intelligence authorities, delegates from Mauritanian National Authority of Radiology and Nuclear Security as well as a member from the Civil Society.
The workshop was opened by the General Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, followed by presentations made by the two members of the 1540 Committee’s Expert Group and UNREC. On behalf of the Government, the General Secretary stated that the related use of weapons of mass destruction by non-state actors poses a great challenge which Mauritania recognizes, highlighting the importance of the related work of the 1540 Committee Experts and UNREC as well as the Government’s appreciation of the outreach efforts of UNREC towards the materialization of this workshop.
The technical assistance rendered through the workshop helped to develop the Mauritania’s initial national report on resolution 1540. In addition, the workshop contributed to enhance understanding of national stakeholders in Mauritania on the obligations of the resolution and facilitated a needs analysis for further assistance. As background, Mauritania has ratified, acceded and signed the legally binding instruments relating to the provisions of resolution 1540, in particular operating paragraphs 1, 2 and 3, which include the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Biological Weapons Convention and the Geneva Protocol of 1925.
As of today, UNREC, in cooperation with the 1540 Committee Experts, has conducted a broad range of activities in Africa in support of the implementation of resolution 1540. These include: three workshops based on language groups (English, French and Portuguese), two country visits for initial report drafting in Malawi and Zambia, three country visits for voluntary national implementation action plan drafting in Malawi, Senegal and Togo, two capacity building workshops to assist the 1540 interministerial Committee of Gabon and Togo and one sub-regional workshop on export control, attended by four countries of the G-5 Sahel (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Niger). However, there are still 12 remaining countries in Africa are still yet to submit their national reports on resolution 1540.
The United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004) calls on States to refrain from providing any form of support to non-State actors that attempt to develop, acquire, manufacture, possess, transport, transfer or use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and their means of delivery.
For additional information about the 1540 Committee, please visit http://www.un.org/sc/1540/
Opening statement by Dr. Jiaming Miao, Officer in Charge UNREC
Closing statement by Dr. Jiaming Miao, Officer in Charge UNREC
The proliferation of illicit small arms is a problem that affects many countries in Africa. The Sahel region is one of the most affected. These undocumented and mostly illegally held arms do not only threaten the safety and security of communities but are also used by dangerous transnational criminal networks engaged in various forms of trafficking, including of weapons, humans and illegal drugs. In many instances these arms also fall into the wrong hands where they are often used by terrorists, violent extremists, rebel groups and other non-state actors to spread insecurity, commit atrocities and generally threaten social order and stability. As a result many countries now increasingly recognize that the continued proliferation of these illicit arms not only constitutes a grave threat to wellbeing of communities in the region, but also a serious impediment to social and economic development.
In the face of this growing threat, the countries of the region, their development partners including the United Nations, the African Union and Regional Economic Communities such as the Economic Community for West Africa (ECOWAS) have over the last few years rallied together to craft strategies to address this menace. A major concern for the international community has been the need to take measures to secure and better manage state held arms stockpiles in order to ensure and prevent their diversion into the illicit market.
One such initiative is the Physical Security and Stockpile Management – PSSM Sahel project jointly funded by the European Union and the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs. This three-year project aims to promote stability in the region by supporting six countries in the Sahel, namely Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Nigeria to improve the security and management of state-held arms. Through this project, countries are provided with support to reform their legal systems in order to align them with international norms and to achieve conformity with their obligations under the different global and regional arms-control treaties and instruments. Countries are also provided with support to build their technical capacity to administer and operate arms security and management systems in accordance with internationally established norms and standards. These include training in the implementation of the International Small Arms Control Standards (ISACSs) and the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATGs). A key innovative feature of this project is the piloting of 18 model arms-stockage installations to be used as in-country reference points in training and development of similar installations.
Sensitization at both national and regional levels is one of the key components of this project. At the national level, the project does this by convening broad-based consultations bringing together different stakeholders from government, civil, society private and state security agencies to discuss the issue of arms control in their countries.
At the regional level UNREC launched the project, UNREC by organizing a Wilton Park Conference under the theme “Towards better Physical Security and Stockpile Management (PSSM) in the Sahel region", on 14 and 15 March 2016 in Lomé. The event gathered the National Focal Points and National Commissions on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) from six States of the Sahel as well as experts from international organizations (African Union, ECOWAS, and the European Union), relevant UN agencies, specialized agencies such as INTERPOL, BICC, MAG, Conflict Armament Research (CAR), and the Sahel G5. The conference offered an opportunity to exchange experiences, obtain the necessary political buy-in to conduct project activities, as well as a platform to discuss regional cooperation.
Also from 15 – 17 November 2016, UNREC brought together senior government officers from the beneficiary countries and international experts from regional and nongovernmental organizations actively engaged in the PSSM activities to share experiences and information gained from the National Consultations held in these countries during the initial phase of the project.
The latest round of national consultations on arms control took place in Nouakchott, in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania from 24 to 25 April 2017. This workshop held in collaboration with the National Focal Point on Small Arms and Light Weapons, under the auspices of the Ministry of Security and Decentralization. It brought together participants from the ministries of Defense, Foreign Affairs, Security and Justice, as well as the military, gendarmerie, immigration and customs. Others taking part included members of the security committee in the national assembly and civil society representatives.
During the workshop, participants reviewed the general situation with regard to the proliferation of small Arms and Light Weapons in Mauritania and the larger Sahel region and the danger to public safety and state security posed by the unregulated circulation of these arms. Participants were also presented with information regarding existing international and regional arms control treaties and instruments, amongst them the International Arms Trade Treaty –ATT, and the United Nations Program of Action on Small Arms –UNPOA. They were also briefed on the process of achieving compliance with these measures.
Of great interest to the Mauritanian hosts was the modalities and process of reinforcing national coordinative mechanisms on arms control. In this regard UNREC was able to share its experience of supporting other countries in the region to put in place National Small Arms and Light Weapons Commissions. It also expressed its readiness to support the Mauritanian authorities in the process of developing their own national coordinative mechanisms.
The rich profile of participants allowed the workshop to discuss the problem of arms control and the challenges it posed in the Mauritanian context from a fairly wide perspective. Besides, it also allowed participants to discuss the place and importance of PSSM in the overall security infrastructure and to understand its impact on the social and economic development of the country. The workshop marked the start of the next phase of the project which will be implemented by UNREC in partnership with the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) which will provide technical capacity building in stockpile security and management and pilot model arms stockage facilities.
UNREC apporte son appui au Niger dans le cadre de la validation des procédures standard opérationnelles (SOP) et procédures administratives de gestion des armesLe Centre Régional des Nations Unies pour la paix et le désarmement en Afrique (UNREC), en collaboration avec les autorités nationales nigériennes, organise une série d’ateliers sur le thème : « Validation des Procédures standards opérationnelles (SOP) et procédures administratives ». Les activités se dérouleront du 11 au 14 juillet 2017 au Grand Hôtel de Niamey au Niger.
Ces ateliers s’inscrivent dans le cadre des activités du projet « Sécurité physique et gestion des stocks (PSSM) » au Sahel cofinancé par l’Union Européenne et le Bureau des Nations Unies pour les affaires de désarmement (UNODA) et qui concerne six pays du sahel à savoir : le Burkina–Faso, le Mali, la Mauritanie, le Niger, le Nigeria et le Tchad. La mise en œuvre technique des activités est confiée à l’UNODA, à travers le Centre régional pour la paix et le désarmement en Afrique (UNREC).
Le projet PSSM au Sahel s'inscrit dans le cadre de l’appui des Nations Unies et de l’Union européenne à la sécurité et à la stabilité dans la région du Sahel afin d’aider les Etats de cette région à prévenir le détournement et le trafic des Armes légères et de petit calibre (ALPC), ainsi que de leurs munitions, en améliorant la sécurité physiques et la gestion de leurs stocks.
Cette seconde phase du projet vient après la première qui a consisté en un processus de présentation du concept PSSM aux acteurs concernés, de sensibilisation, d’examen des législations et des procédures administratives relatives à ce PSSM et de la tenue de consultations nationales, sous forme d’atelier dans les pays bénéficiaires. Cette phase initiale du projet a été bouclée par une conférence régionale des parties prenantes des pays bénéficiaires ; conférence au cours de laquelle furent partagées des expériences basées sur les résultats des consultations nationales, de la revue de législation, avec des apports des experts œuvrant dans le secteur.
La phase actuelle du projet a deux composantes : le volet technique que constitue la réhabilitation des sites pilote de stockages des armes, et le volet renforcement de capacités que vise à développer des standards opérationnels et administratifs adaptés au contexte de chaque pays bénéficiaire.
Pendant quatre jours, les experts nationaux et internationaux œuvrant dans le domaine sécuritaire se pencheront sur la thématique en vue de passer en revue la situation PSSM et les questions pertinentes relatives au secteur de la sécurité dans la région du Sahel y compris au Niger. Il s’agira également d’examiner les SOP et procédures administratives basées sur les normes et standards internationales que sont l’International Small Arms Control Standards (ISACS) et l’International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG) et de les faire valider par les autorités politiques de l’état responsables de la sécurité.
Pour plus d'informations, veuillez contacter : Le Centre régional des Nations Unies pour la paixet le désarmement en Afrique (UNREC), Tel : (+228) 22 53 50 00
E-mail :
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