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OAS Donates Firearms Marking Equipment to Ecuador

  January 19, 2012

The Organization of American States (OAS) donated to the Government of Ecuador firearms marking equipment to be used by the Ministry of National Defense with the objective of improving its capabilities for fighting the illicit trafficking of firearms. This initiative, implemented in 15 countries of the region, is part of the efforts delineated by the OAS Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza, that qualify the Organization as a strategic actor in the fight against crime.

The equipment was delivered during a ceremony held in the Ministry of National Defense in Quito, Ecuador, with the presence of the Deputy Defense Minister, the Director of Logistics of the Joint Command of the Armed Forces of Ecuador, and the OAS Representative, Pedro Vuskovic.

The donation—financed by the Government of the United States—is part of the program “Promoting Firearms Marking in Latin America and the Caribbean,” following the Inter-American Convention against Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, and Other Related Materials (CIFTA), and seeks to strengthen national capabilities on matters of firearms marking.

The organization submitted to the Government of Ecuador a special computer, to facilitate the process of upkeep of date on marked firearms. Also, the OAS Department of Public Security will hold a training workshop on the use of firearms marking equipment with ten officials from the Ministry of Defense.

Among the OAS’s principal goals is the strengthening of national capabilities of the Member States to respond, in an effective and efficient way, to the growing levels of crime and violence caused by the illicit trafficking in firearms. In this sense, the OAS cooperates with the countries of the region with the objective that, in the shortest time possible, all the Member States will have established policies, as well as relevant legislation to mark firearms at the time of manufacturing and/or import.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-012/12