ANNEX

EU CONTRIBUTION TO THE UN PROJECT IN SUPPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL TRACING INSTRUMENT

1.   Introduction

The UN Secretariat (Office of Disarmament Affairs) (hereinafter referred to as UN-ODA), intends to organise in 2008 a series of regional and sub-regional workshops in order to allow relevant government officials and others (including SALW points of contact, law enforcement officials, members of national coordinating bodies, and parliamentarians) to become better acquainted with the provisions of the International Instrument to Enable States to Identify and Trace, in a Timely and Reliable Manner, Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW), adopted by United Nations General Assembly on 8 December 2005 (hereinafter referred to as International Tracing Instrument).

2.   Project description

Workshops will have a practical focus and a two-day duration and will provide participants with information aimed at enhancing their understanding of the International Tracing Instrument, its relevance and the capacities, skills and resources that would be needed to ensure its implementation at national level. In addition, the workshops will aim at initiating country-specific needs assessments.

The Conventional Arms Branch (CAB) of the UN-ODA intends to organise and implement the workshops in collaboration with the Office’s Regional Disarmament Branch, which includes the three United Nations Regional Disarmament Centres. In addition, UN-ODA will endeavour to work in partnership with interested Governments, relevant regional and/or sub-regional organisations, international organizations and civil society organisations with expertise in the area of marking and tracing SALW, including the Bonn International Centre for Conversion (BICC), the Groupe de Recherche et d’Information sur la Paix et la Securité (GRIP) and the Small Arms Survey (SAS). In close cooperation with Interpol, technical presentations will also be provided with a view to familiarising participants with the technical tools available and to assist law enforcement officials with the identification and tracing of illicit SALW.

2.1.   West Africa

Possible venues for the workshop in West Africa are Bamako (Mali), Abuja (Nigeria), Libreville (Gabon), or the UN Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Lomé (Togo). A final decision on the location of the workshop will be taken by the UN-ODA, in coordination with the Presidency, assisted by the SG/HR.

Member States of the sub-regional organisations ‘Economic Community of West African States’ (ECOWAS) and the ‘Economic Community of Central African States’ (ECCAS) will be eligible to take part in (1) the workshop:

ECOWAS: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo. ECCAS: Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tomé and Principe.

2.2.   Asia

The workshop in Asia is to be held in Seoul, Republic of Korea.

The following countries are eligible to take part in the workshop:

Afghanistan, Australia (2), Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan (2), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam.

2.3.   Latin America and the Caribbean

The workshop in Latin America and the Caribbean is to be held in Brazil. A final decision on the location of the workshop will be taken by the UN-ODA, in coordination with the Presidency, assisted by the SG/HR.

The following countries are eligible to take part in the workshop:

Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela.

3.   Duration

The total estimated duration of the projects will be 12 months.

4.   Beneficiaries

The beneficiaries of the seminars are States in Africa, Asia and Latin America, as indicated above, which according to the UN-ODA need to enhance their understanding of the provisions set up by the International Tracing Instrument, as well as to identify the capacities, skills and resources that would be needed to ensure its implementation at national level.

Potential regional and other technical assistance donors, as well as relevant international regional and sub-regional organisations, will also be invited to attend.

5.   Implementing entity

Within the context of its overall responsibility, the UN-ODA will implement the technical activities resulting from the EU contribution, as stipulated in this Joint Action, under the control of the SG/HR, assisting the Presidency.

6.   Estimated total cost of the project and EU financial contribution

The project is to be co-financed by the EU and other donors. The EU contribution will cover the participation of representatives from beneficiary States and experts in the workshops, excluding UN staff, as well as conference costs. The EU contribution will finance eligible activities for the workshop in Africa as a priority. Expenditure incurred by relevant regional and sub-regional organisations may also be covered, insofar as this is directly related to their participation in activities under the projects. The UN-ODA will be responsible for the overall coordination of contributions made by other donors, which will finance the remaining costs of the project.

The total estimated cost of the project is USD 798 800 to which the EU will contribute EUR 299 825.

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(1)  UN-ODA will organise a workshop for the North, East and South of Africa in December 2007.

(2)  The Governments of Australia and Japan will assume the travel expenses of their participants.