UNREC National consultation workshop on Physical Security and Stockpile Management (PSSM) procedures in Mauritania

UNREC National consultation workshop on Physical Security and Stockpile Management (PSSM) procedures in Mauritania

24/04/2017

25/04/2017

Activity description

Within the framework of the 'Physical Security and Stockpile Management Project' (PSSM) project in the Sahel, UNREC organised the latest round of national consultations on arms control in Nouakchott, Mauritania, from 24 to 25 April 2017. The workshop, held in collaboration with the National Focal Point on Small Arms and Light Weapons and under the auspices of the Ministry of Security and Decentralization, brought together participants from the ministries of Defence, 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. The workshop marked the start of the next phase of the PSSM project, which will be implemented by UNREC in partnership with the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) that will provide technical capacity building in stockpile security and management and pilot model arms storage facilities.

Project description

The Physical Security and Stockpile Management (PSSM) in Sahel Project is a regional project implemented by UNREC and co-funded by the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA). It covers Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Nigeria. Designated partners for the implementation of the project are the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), the non-governmental organization Mines Advisory Group (MAG), the ISACS Inter-Agency Support Unit and Wilton Park. Through three years of funding, beneficiary countries are provided with support to reform their legal systems in order to align them with international standards and to achieve conformity with their obligations under 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 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. The PSSM in Sahel project is part of the support by the United Nations and the European Union to the security and stability in the Sahel and aims to support States in this region to prevent the diversion and the illicit trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW), as well as their ammunition, by improving the physical security and management of national stockpiles.

Type of Activity