On 13 to 14 October 2015, UNODC, through its Global Firearms Programme, and the Government of Costa Rica hosted a Regional Meeting for Latin America in the city of San José on the "Synergies between international instruments on arms control - Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), Protocol on Firearms and Program of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (UNPoA)". This meeting was part of a UNODC larger project aimed at promoting a better understanding of these instruments and their implementation.
Based on the draft of a study in which UNODC was previously working, participants  formulated concrete recommendations on the legislative options and public policies for State Parties in order to strengthen weapons control in accordance with the various international instruments, with emphasis on the synergies identified. Member States exchanged views and experiences on the challenges encountered so far in the implementation of these instruments in order to promote harmonized approaches and to promote cooperation, as well as to identify specific needs for technical assistance. The recommendations were then integrated into the study, published under the same title "Synergies between international instruments on arms control - Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), Protocol on Firearms and Program of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons". Both the activity and the publication were funded by the UN Trust Facility Supporting Cooperation on Arms Regulation (UNSCAR).
In San José, the meeting brought together 47 firearms control authorities and criminal justice practitioners from 16 Latin American countries as well as representatives from International Organisations, including the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) and civil society.