The Sierra Leone National Commission on Small Arms (SLeNCSA) has on May 29 organized a two-day workshop on the establishment of a National Control List for implementation of Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) in Sierra Leone.
The hybrid workshop which was held at the Sierra Bay Hotel in Aberdeen was anchored on the theme 'An effective National Control List (NCL) for ATT implementation' with specific focus on the establishment, review and use of NCL, including the ammunition list.
As co - implementer of the expert project, Expertise France alongside the German Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA) aims at partnering with SLeNCSA in strengthening Sierra Leone capacities to develop a national control system in organizing an activity to take place in hybrid form.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Commissioner of SLeNCSA, Rtd. Binneh Kondeh Conteh the commission has spent a lot of energy and time to popularize the ATT and sensitize and educate security personnel of the relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies on the implementation of the ATT in their various operational areas.
"Today, we are all assembled here to start another very significant process relating to Sierra Leone's commitment to fulfilling another obligation of the ATT. This is the preparation of National Control List of firearms for Sierra Leone", he said.
He said within the context of the ATT, the National Control List comprises items that are subject to specific regulations by a state because of their sensitive or dangerous nature, adding that the preparation and establishment of a National Control List of firearms for Sierra Leone as required by the ATT, is indeed a matter of national security interest.
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The SLeNCSA boss continued that Article (2) of the ATT specifically requires such state partybof the ATT to establish a NCL a national control list of conventional firearms, related ammunition and parts and components.
Expertise France Ms Sigrid Lipott said the main goal of the workshop is to sensitize all relevant Sierra Leone authorities involved in the implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty to the importance and application of a NCL.
He said the success of the implementation of the ATT and NCL will be approached through thematic and sub-thematic presentations, discussions and and exchanges of experiences and expertise between national, national, international and European experts, consisting best practices of national control lists at the international level, a review of different approaches to setting up a NCL among others.
