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Liberia Representation at the fourth Annual Conference on the ATT

The Liberian Government, through the Liberia National Commission on Small Arms LiNCSA and the National Security Agency represented the government at the Fourth Annual Conference on Arms Trade Treaty held in Tokyo Japan.

Speaking at the Fourth Annual Conference and head of the Liberian delegation, Commissioner Benoni Knuckles of LiNCSA told delegates that Liberia’s participation in domesticating the Arm Trade Treaty (ATT) remains a key priority of the Liberian Government, stressing that the President of Liberia, His Excellency George Manneh Weah is supportive of this worthy undertaking.

Comm. Knuckles informed the delegates that Liberia continues to make all efforts from signing the treaty and to ensure its ratification. At the moment, he said, the Commission is conducting a national assessment for identifying gaps and beginning the implementation process in compliance to the Arms Trade Treaty.
 
With support through the Voluntary Trust Fund (VTF), Comm. Knuckles revealed that Liberia is currently establishing the legal framework on the National Arms Trade and Transfer Act with corresponding regulations and other instruments to formalize the domestic ATT compliance.

He emphasized that the Liberia National Commission on Small Arms and Stakeholders continue to work at the national level to supports the regional approach to enforce compliance and encourage authorities of ECOWAS to integrate principles of the Arms Trade Treaty into the Convention on small arms and light weapons, ammunitions and other related materials.

In his statement, Comm. Knuckles expressed that ECOWAS has expertise on solid structure and a strong Arms Exemption regime in place that compels compliance, calling on the leaders of ECOWAS to expand the scope beyond Small arms and light weapons –SALW to make the Arms Trade Treaty a reality in the same manner and method applied to the Convention.

He noted that Liberians, with the exit of the UN Mission in 2018, are responsible for handling security, strengthening, maintaining and sustaining the peace, and will continue to prioritize arms control compliance via the ECOWAS convention on Arms Trade Treaty.
 
Liberia has begun to identify and develop younger generation of Arms Stockpile Experts who are decision makers, managers and technicians, the Commissioner noted.

The conference brought together expert in and outside of Japan to discuss the vision against the reality of global arm transfer.
The ATT, which came into effect in 2014, is aimed at regulating conventional arms trade, specifically covering weapons in eight categories — battle tanks, armored combat vehicles, large-caliber artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missile launchers and missiles, and small arms and light weapons. A total of 97 countries and regions are part of the ATT, including Brazil, which joined the treaty Tuesday as its newest member.