Liberia Hosts First Pan-African Confab on Arms Trade Treaty

The Liberia National Commission on Arms (LiNCA), in collaboration with the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), has commenced the first pan-African workshop on the Arms Trade Treaty in Monrovia.

The ongoing forum will provide a platform for organizers to facilitate an exchange of experiences and lessons learned on ATT universalization and effective implementation among representatives from ATT States Parties, Signatories, and Non-member States in Africa, as well as representatives from the African Union and the Regional Economic Communities in Africa. 

It will also enable the production of a lessons-learned document containing effective measures for enhancing ATT universalization, an instrument that will be presented at the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) Tenth Conference of States Parties (CSP10) in Geneva, Switzerland. 

In his opening remarks, Thomas K. Kollie, Acting Chairman of LiNCA, highlighted the workshop’s importance in generating valuable lessons for African states striving to become ATT State Parties. 

He emphasized Liberia’s commitment to sharing its experiences and learning from others in ATT compliance efforts and challenges.

Kollie, stressed the importance of the “Monrovia Workshop” because it will enable the production of lessons learned documents that will provide examples of effective measures that have been tried and tested and can be used by African States to overcome challenges for becoming an ATT State Party by implementing treaty provisions and fulfilling ATT obligations.

He told the delegates that Liberia was prepared to share its experiences and learn from other countries on the ATT compliance efforts and challenges. 

Kollie expressed excitement for the event, noting that the ATT Secretariat selected Liberia’s government proposal to organize the first Pan African Workshop on ATT in partnership with the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR).

According to him, Liberia has been committed to the effective implementation of the ATT treaty. This instrument regulates the global trade in conventional arms.

He also recalled that the Liberian government amended the Liberian Firearms and Ammunition Control Act in 2015, domesticating the ATT in 2022, thus making Liberia one of the first states to domesticate this very important instrument in Africa.

The Head of ATT Secretariat, Mr. Dumisani Dladla, thanked UNIDIR for supporting the government of Liberia in organizing and making this workshop a success. 

He said, “You have indeed fully met our expectations of the role of implementing partners in supporting states in their efforts to implement the ATT. On this point, it will be remiss of me not to welcome UNIDIR’s continuous collaboration with the ATT Secretariat in our various ATT endeavors.”

Dladla emphasized that the workshop will give participants the opportunity to exchange views, thoughts, and perspectives on how they can jointly strive for positive outcomes concerning increased ATT membership and effective implementation of the ATT.

According to him, participants are aware that the ATT aims to regulate the international trade in conventional arms and to prevent the illicit trade and diversion of conventional arms, a problem we all face, and more so on the African continent.

“In the 10 years since the Treaty came into force in December 2014, we have observed with satisfaction the progress made by the Treaty both in terms of membership and national implementation,” he noted.

Dladla recalled that in December 2014, they had 50 state parties, and now only 113 state parties (58%) of which 28 are from the African continent.

These numbers, he said, are no doubt impressive if viewed against the backdrop of the treaty being just 10 years in force.

Dladla said, “This is, however, not a picture to be complacent about, considering that globally we still have 54 states, of which 14 are from the African region, who are neither parties to nor signatory states to the ATT. If the treaty is to be truly universal, the current levels of membership need to increase. I consider this workshop an important contribution towards this goal.”

For his part, LiNCA former Chairman, Atty. Teklo Maxwell Grigsby, who served as one of the facilitators, informed the participants that the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is an international Treaty that regulates the international trade in Conventional Arms by establishing the highest standards governing Arms transfer. It seeks to prevent and eradicate illicit trade and diversion of conventional Arms.

“We nurtured the Vision up to the Ninth CSP and its subsequent preparatory meetings. Thereafter, we  held technical sessions with Professional Colleagues and Technicians at the Arms Commission and subsequently established partnership with the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) to develop a grant proposal for support from the Arms Trade Treaty Voluntary Trust Fund (ATT-VTF) to bring 20 African Countries, Regional, Continental and International Groups in the field of Disarmament and Arms Control (over 50 delegates) to Liberia.”

He said the idea was to hold an exclusive African discussion on what was coined the “Monrovia Workshop” on ATT Universalition and Effective Treaty Implementation to collectively review the status of Implementation of African Countries and encourage Signatory States to become State Party and Non-Participants of the Treaty to eventually become Signatory States and subsequently, State Parties.

“Today, we had the distinguished privilege to honor the invitation of both the Arms Commission and UNIDIR as a Consultant at the Monrovia Workshop with the responsibility to Facilitate Four (4) Critical Sessions including; Experiences of Signatory States and Non State Participants of the Arms Trade Treaty, Mechanism for developing a National Control System and Control List, ATT Financial obligations and a Breakout session on Enforcement and Diversion of Conventional Arms including Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW).”

According to him, the lessons learned and successes of the first ATT regional meeting (Monrovia Workshop) worldwide will be discussed at the Tenth Conference of States Parties in Geneva, Switzerland in August, 2024 and replicated to other regions of the World. 

“This is a remarkable feat Liberia should be proud of. My heart is happy and I can only thank the hardworking team at the Commission for making this dream a reality,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, the workshop brought together over forty-nine (49) delegates from twenty African states, including Rwanda, Nigeria, Cameroon, South Africa, Libya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mauritius, and Zambia, among others, as well as representatives from international organizations including ECOWAS, the Regional Centre on Small Arms (RECSA), and the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR).