Technical and Legal Assistance Project to Support the Maldives in the Implementation of UN PoA and ATT – Phase III

UNRCPD, together with the Government of the Maldives, implemented a project to strengthen the national capacity of the Maldives to implement the UN Programme of Action on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons (UN PoA) and the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) between August and September 2015. On 29 – 30 September 2015, the final stage of the project took place in Malé, Maldives, in the shape of a summary workshop.

The purpose of the project was to enhance the maritime security of the Maldives by providing its Government with technical and legal assistance to facilitate the implementation of the Programme of Action and support its ability to move towards accession to the Arms Trade Treaty. Both instruments provide for mutually complementing and reinforcing global mechanisms aimed at countering the illegal trade and illicit trafficking of conventional arms, particularly Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW).

Developed at the request of and in cooperation with the Government of Maldives, the project consisted of three phases. From 3 to 6 August, international experts and a Regional Centre representative held the initial consultation visit to Malé, Maldives, to meet with experts and representatives from ministries and agencies involved in conventional arms control (read more here). As a result, the international experts assessed and identified the Government’s legal and technical needs for assistance.

In the second phase of the project, the experts carried out a review and prepared recommendations for developing comprehensive laws and regulations and technical procedures for physical security, stockpile management and maritime border control. The aim was to ensure the compliance of national regulations and procedures related to international arms transfers with international standards.

The third and final phase of the project consisted of a summary visit, which was being held in the Maldives 29-30 September. During this final visit, the international experts presented their review outcomes and recommendations and discussed them with Government experts and officials, thus enhancing the capacity of the Maldives to control SALW and other conventional arms, particularly in a maritime context.

The project was organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence and National Security of the Maldives, and funded by the United Nations Trust Facility Supporting Cooperation on Arms Regulation (UNSCAR).

To see more pictures of the workshop click here.

Meeting hosted by:
Government of the Maldives

Meeting funded by:
United Nations Trust Facility Supporting Cooperation on Arms Regulation (UNSCAR).