Arms Trade Treaty Subject Matter Expert – Consultant, Caribbean

About Mines Advisory Group (MAG):

Founded in 1989, MAG is a co-recipient of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for our work towards banning landmines under the Ottawa Treaty, also known as the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention. We remove mines and unexploded ordnance to help communities recover from recent and long-past conflicts, and work to reduce and prevent armed conflict by supporting government and communities to safely manage weapons and ammunition. We have helped more than 20 million people in 70 countries rebuild their lives and livelihoods after war.

About the Caribbean Programme:

In the Caribbean region, MAG together with CARICOM IMPACS is building on various assessments already undertaken in the region to provide targeted assistance to states with regard to weapons and ammunition management, policy and advocacy support, and engagement with a wide range of other partners. This innovative programme focuses on safety, security and sustainability, ultimately helping to create the conditions for peace and sustainable development.

Purpose/objective of the assignment:

To support Belize in its efforts to combat the illicit trafficking and proliferation of firearms fuelling armed violence, CARICOM IMPACS and MAG will deliver a four-day workshop on Arms Trade Treaty compliance to women and men from the Belize Security and Defence Forces (SDF), with support from regional and international experts including logistical support from the Belize National Police Headquarters. A small number of participants will also be invited from other states across the region to participate in knowledge sharing and learning.

The workshop on ATT compliance will enhance the knowledge and capacity of the personnel primarily involved in implementing the Treaty in Belize, meaning that the state is better equipped to comply with the treaty successfully. Post-workshop, the state authorities will be supported to develop a national action plan including control list and to report on the implementation of such a plan thus ensuring that political will is embedded in concrete activities and that capacity is developed at the state level resulting in sustainable national capacities. These activities will ultimately contribute towards achieving SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions), which highlights the illicit flow of arms as a key barrier towards peaceful societies.

The MAG team in partnership with CARICOM IMPACS is therefore seeking the services of an individual consultant to finalise the content, workshop agenda, develop training materials and facilitate learning sessions at this workshop with the logistical support of colleagues from Belize and MAG. The overall focus of the workshop will be to refresh SDF staff on the treaty itself and how compliance can best be achieved. This will include a general overview of the ATT and its scope, including the relevant articles (primarily Articles 1-5, 8-11 and 12.)

Implementation arrangements:

Desktop analysis and report writing can be carried out on a remote basis, but the successful candidate must be able to travel to Belize to meet with key national stakeholders face to face and facilitate sessions at the workshop.

The consultancy is intended to begin on 29th January 2024. The expected dates of workshop are 27th February 2024 to 1st March 2024.

Scope of work:

To support the Belize government to ensure adherence with the Arms Trade Treaty, the Consultant will undertake the following tasks:

1. Meet with national focal points and other key national stakeholders to finalise the tailored workshop and supporting training materials in collaboration with regional and international experts.
2. Develop interactive presentations and practical exercises within the training outline and create a cohesive workshop package
3. Facilitate sessions at the workshop which will last for four days
4. Prepare a brief workshop report identifying challenges, constraints and lessons learned from the workshop
5. Post- workshop, and with support from Belize, MAG and CARICOM IMPACS, produce a summary document which will outline the discussion and highlight the key recommendations. This will serve as an action plan for Belize’s development of a national control list and will be shared with the ATT Secretariat.

Person Specification:

The Consultant must present with the following requisite qualifications and competencies:

• Significant experience in capacity strengthening and training provision
• Demonstrable knowledge and expertise in the Arms Trade Treaty (including ATT certification) and other relevant international treaties
• Demonstrable knowledge of the Caribbean region and Belize context
• Experience facilitating a similar workshop in other contexts is desirable