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Background

FACT SHEET: Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacture of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, and Other Related Materials (CIFTA)

What is the Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacture of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, and Other Related Materials (CIFTA)?

• The CIFTA is a binding agreement between the countries of the Americas to control and regulate the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms. It was adopted in 1997.
• All the OAS member states have signed the Convention and 31 have ratified it.
• The Convention also seeks to promote and facilitate cooperation and exchanges of information and experiences among the states parties.
• The CIFTA includes a series of provisions that, once a country has ratified the treaty, must be incorporated into domestic law and regulations. Specifically, it addresses the need for states to:
  • Mark firearms to allow them to be traced and for their origin, import, and custody to be identified
  • Criminalize the illicit manufacture of and trafficking in firearms
  • Correctly manage confiscated and seized firearms
  • Ensure that export, import, and transit license regimes are in place
  • Strengthen controls at points of export
  • Establish other security measures, including stockpile management and security
• The OAS supports the member states in the implementation of the Convention in different ways, including:
  • Drafting model laws
  • Facilitating exchanges of best practices
  • Collecting and analyzing statistical information
  • Providing technical assistance and equipment

What have been the CIFTA’s main achievements?

• The CIFTA has been used as the basis for drafting model laws on the following topics:
  • Marking and tracing of firearms
  • Model regulations for the control of the international movement of firearms
  • Control of brokers of firearms, their parts and components, and ammunition
  • Strengthening controls at export points for firearms, ammunition, explosives, and other related materials
  • Legislative measures to establish criminal offenses in relation to the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms
  • Confiscation and forfeiture of firearms, ammunition, explosives, and other related materials
  • Controlled delivery of firearms
• Within the framework of the Convention, in 2009 the OAS launched its Promoting Firearms Marking project in 25 of the region’s countries. The states received 39 dot-peen firearm marking machines, and as a result, a total of 287,000 firearms were marked and 288 national authorities received training.
• The OAS Firearms Standards were created as a reference guide containing non-binding recommendations to assist the member states in adopting practices and methods especially relevant to our region. This enabled the standardization of concepts and contributed to the member states’ compliance with their obligations under the CIFTA.
• Under the aegis of the CIFTA, the OAS implemented the Program of Assistance for Control of Arms and Munitions to support efforts in securing, handling, and/or destroying firearms, ammunition, explosives, and other related materials. Its achievements include supporting Costa Rica, Dominica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua for the destruction of a total of 1,712.23 tons of ammunition and 46,788 firearms.

Why is the Fourth Conference of the States Parties of the CIFTA important?

• This year marks the 20th Anniversary of the CIFTA and, beginning in 2019, the countries will proclaim April 5 of each year to be the Inter-American Day for Counteracting the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms.
• It is hoped that at the Mexico City meeting, the countries will reach consensus for the further pursuit of commitments such as:
  • Adopting a Course of Action for 2018 to 2022, to further the progress of the commitments agreed on in the Convention
  • Furthering regional cooperation on such topics as:
    • Marking and tracing of firearms
    • Oversight and control of the international firearms trade
    • Security and control measures for the management and destruction of firearms, ammunition, and explosives
    • Border controls: police and judicial cooperation and intelligence exchanges
    • Exchange of information and experiences on emerging forms of illicit arms manufacture, and the use of new technologies in those processes
  • The meeting is also expected to expand coordination with other regional and international organizations involved with the topic of controlling firearms and ammunition

Additional information on the Fourth Conference may be found here.

Reference: S-010/18