Brasília – The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) signed a partnership to standardize norms and legislations on the production, distribution, sales, registration, bearing and possession, and destruction of firearms in the four Member States of the Mercosur (Southern Cone Common Market), Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The document was signed by the Brazilian government, this last Thursday (7), in Brasília. The two institutions, now, want the support of the other countries of the Mercosur. A project outline has already been presented to representatives of the UNDP in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

At first, information about firearm control in the four countries will be gathered and organized. The objective, according to the UNDP, is to reveal the differences and indicate how the standardization of legislation and management may help deter weapon trafficking. The project will include, still this year, a seminar in these countries to analyze the information gathered and discuss ways of joint action in the combat of organized crime.

Translation: Andréa Alves