KATHMANDU, Nov 12: The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), in collaboration with its Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific and the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining, is organizing sub-regional training courses in Nepal to engage states of central, south and south east Asia on the subject of conventional ammunition management.
The six-day training to begin in in Kathmandu from November 11 will focus on the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines and the UN Safer Guard Programme, according to a statement issued by the UNODA.
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UNODA warned that inadequately managed ammunition stockpiles pose the dual dangers of unintended explosions and diversion to illicit markets.
“In response to these challenges, the United Nations developed the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines in 2011 to provide practical step by step guidance for all stakeholders wishing to improve the safety and security of ammunition storage sites,” said the statement.
In parallel, the UN Safer Guard Programme was launched as a complementary platform for managing knowledge of conventional ammunition issues within the United Nations.
The sub-regional training aims to increase awareness of the UN Safer Guard Programme with a view to supporting national authorities in a safe and secure ammunition management. Furthermore, the training will serve as a platform to introduce the “UN Safer Guard Validation Process” with a view to encouraging the participation of technical ammunition experts from Asia and the Pacific in future validation exercises.
