The ATT Academy in Latin America, which brought together government and civil society representatives from Chile, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, Paraguay and Uruguay, came to a close today at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Mexico City. Over the past three days, participants in this training explored challenges and solutions to the Treaty’s implementation through engaging discussions, substantive input and interactive exercises.
This second session of the ATT Academy is part of a continuous six-month learning opportunity aimed to equip participants with a thorough practical understanding of the Treaty’s provisions. It explored themes particularly relevant to the sub-region such as diversion and tackling gender-based violence. Convening for a second time also allowed participants to identify and then focus on challenges they have encountered as they advance the Treaty’s implementation at the national level, including the development of national control lists, reporting and international assistance.
Expert speakers, including Daniel Mack and Pia Devoto, brought these sessions to life, highlighting key ATT provisions. Ambassador Ruiz Cabañas, Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, in his opening remarks stressed that “Latin America is one of the regions with the highest levels of armed violence in the world. For this reason, we need the highest commitment to stop the illicit arms trafficking and diversion in our region.” Building on the interim online training focused on the implementation of the GBV criteria within the ATT, Magda Coss of 24-0 México/Inspiring provided an in-depth presentation on the differences between gender-based violence and violence against women and girls and its relevance for the ATT risk assessment.
Participants applied lessons learned throughout the training by completing hypothetical exercises and engaging in group discussions. A lively trivia game at the end of the training, developed by UNLIREC, gave participants the chance to show off their knowledge and understanding of the Treaty’s provisions before drawing the session to a close.
Dr. Isaac Morales, Deputy Director General for Multilateral Security gave closing remarks, emphasizing the importance of ATT reporting as it contributes to transparency and confidence building between states, to the development of useful data and information at the national and bilateral levels and enables civil society, academics and research institutes to identify trends in the global arms trade. “The effective implementation of the ATT which contributes to the prevention of armed violence and illicit trafficking will also advance Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development”
The ATT Academy is a project of Control Arms, with funding from the UN Trust Facility Supporting Cooperation on Arms Regulation (UNSCAR). This session was also made possible with support from the Mexican government.
