Disarmament in Review
From 27 to 31 May 2013, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) provided technical assistance to St Kitts and Nevis for the destruction of close to 400 seized and obsolete weapons and 0.67 tonnes of small arms ammunition in Basseterre. All weapons and ammunition destroyed were documented in accordance with international standards and UNLIREC’s standard operating procedures. UNLIREC also provided training on firearms and ammunition destruction techniques to thirteen officials from the Police and Defence forces with a view to permanently installing technical and human resource capacity to engage in independent destructions.
All small arms were destroyed using a set of hydraulic shears provided by UNLIREC to the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, while the ammunition was destroyed using the UNLIREC-patented Small Arms Ammunition Burning Tank (SAABT). Both destruction processes included an oversight and technical assistance by UNLIREC officials.
The destruction assistance to St. Kitts and Nevis forms part of a wider UNLIREC programme for firearms destruction and stockpile management for Caribbean States aimed at combating illicit trafficking by reducing the risk of theft and diversion from government holdings of firearms, ammunition and explosives. UNLIREC’s destruction assistance to the Caribbean is made possible thanks to a grant from the Government of the United States of America.
UNLIREC serves 33 countries in the region in assisting them in the development of disarmament policies and the implementation of international disarmament instruments, most notably the UN 2001 Programme of Action on Small Arms.
For more information on UNLIREC visit http://www.unlirec.org. Please direct all questions or inquiries to: Ms. Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer at (cowl@unlirec.org).
