Disarmament in Review
On 6 June, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the Ammunition Management Advisory Team (AMAT) of the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) launched three new tools to support the implementation of the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG). The IATG provide practical guidance on safe and secure ammunition management. The new tools, namely (1) the IATG Online Digital Tool; (2) the Comprehensive IATG Training Programme;and (3) the Self-Assessment Tools form part of the UN SaferGuard programme. The tools were developed with financial support from the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and Switzerland.
The hybrid event was organized on the margins of the fourth substantive session of the open-ended working group (OEWG) on conventional ammunition which was held from 5 to 9 June 2023 in New York.
The discussion was facilitated by Nora Allgaier, Political Affairs Officer, UNODA, and commenced with opening remarks by Ambassador Aidan Liddle, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, and Ivor Fung, Chief of the Conventional Arms Branch, UNODA.
Ambassador Liddle underlined the dangers posed by poorly managed ammunition stockpiles, including diversion and explosions of ammunition and stressed the importance of safe secure ammunition management. He also introduced the new IATG implementation support tools, highlighting their potential and noting that “these tools are practical ways of addressing the changes we all face and will be a great contribution to the work we all are doing.”
Ivor Fung also touched upon the practical nature of the IATG. He spoke about UNODA’s work in updating the guidelines and in providing technical support for their implementation. Mr. Fung expressed the hope that new tools would empower all responsible actors to tackle ammunition management in a new manner. “This aligns with the objective of the OEWG on conventional ammunition and aims at supporting safe, secure, and sustainable ammunition management throughout its life cycle and at all levels,” he said.
Following Mr. Fung’s statement, participants heard an introduction to the three new IATG implementation support tools.
Ekaterina Razinkova, AMAT Programme Officer, introduced the IATG Online Digital Tool, an easily accessible and navigable digital database and web application that is available in multiple languages. It allows users of the IATG to navigate an extensive compendium of practical guidance and find the required information quickly and easily, with the option of translating it into Arabic, French, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.
The Comprehensive IATG Training Programme was introduced by Frederic Maio, AMAT Programme Manager. The training package aims to assist States in enhancing the safety and security of ammunition stockpiles and ensuring that their relevant strategies, standards and procedures are in line with good practices, as contained in the IATG. The IATG Training Programme is comprised of a foundation course for technical personnel and a policy seminar for senior policy developers. He noted that the training programme was comprehensive, high quality, modular, responsive, and aimed at ensuring the sustainability of ammunition management efforts.
Jovana Carapic, AMAT Programme Manager, briefed participants concerning the Self-Assessment Tools which are comprised of seven tools. These tools are tailored to support a State’s assessment of its through-life ammunition management capabilities at the strategic, operational and technical levels. The tools allow for the identification of needs and gaps in national ammunition management policies and practices, as well as entry points for strengthening organizational capability, with a view to ensuring safe, secure and effective through-life ammunition management. She noted that these tools are meant to work together and to supplement each other as well as support the application of the IATG at the local level.
Following the presentations, the speakers took questions and comments from the audience.
In response to a comment on the importance of the actual implementation of the IATG by participating States, Jovana Carapic replied that one of the biggest challenges in implementing the tools lay in ensuring that training is backed up by regulations and procedures that would enable participating States to apply them.
Addressing the question as to how AMAT will raise awareness of States regarding the new tools, Jovana Carapic said that AMAT is currently in the process of developing training packages for the tools. The next step, she said, will be to work closely with States and communities of practice to get them accustomed to the tools. Frederic Maio highlighted the value of the translation function which make the tools more widely accessible.
The event concluded with closing remarks by Colonel Prasenjit Chaudhuri, Armed Forces Staff, International Relations Head of Swiss Verification Unit. He reiterated that the three new IATG implementation support tools represented a significant step forward in the collective international, regional, national efforts to ensure safety and security of ammunition stockpiles. “Let us work together towards our common future where sustainable weapons and ammunition management is the global reality,” he said.
Drafted by Olena Kryzhanivska
