INTERIOR Minister, Ambrose Dery, has said his outfit was working on a Cabinet memorandum for the implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty.
Signed in 2015, the Arms Trade Treaty is a multi-lateral legally binding treaty which is expected to create common standards for exports, imports, transit, teams-shipment and brokering referred to as transfer.
It is meant to regulate the international trade in conventional arms, from small arms to battle tanks, combat aircrafts and warships.
The treaty was to foster peace and security, curb terrorism by thwarting uncontrolled arms flows to conflict regions and potential conflict zones to prevent human rights abusers and violators of international humanitarian laws from being supplied with arms.
In an answer to a question asked of him in Accra yesterday as to what plans Ghana had to implement the treaty, Mr. Dery said the country would have to adopt a legislation, develop rules and administrative measures for the implementation.
“Although there are some laws on arms and ammunitions, we need to review our legislation to the United Nations standard,” Mr. Dery noted.
According to him, the implementation of the treaty requires Ghana put in place certain strategies to prevent and address and the diversion of conventional arms to unauthorized end-users, amongst others.
Some of these strategies, he said included the designation of a National Authority, a National Focus Point and a National Control List.
“Mr. Speaker, I wish to inform this august House that steps to implement the Treaty are underway. The ministry is working on a Cabinet Memo on the matter for submission to Cabinet for approval,” Mr. Derry, MP, Nandom, told his colleagues.
In another question on the status of investigations into the alleged sexual conduct by the Ghana Police Unit on United Nations Mission in South Sudan, Mr. Ambrose Dery said a three-member team of investigators, dispatched in March this year were investigating the matter.
Urgent steps, he said, were being taken by his outfit and the Attorney-General’s Department to amend the Ghana Police Service Regulations 2012 (CI76) to include sexual exploitation and abuse which were not explicitly captured under the current regulations.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
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