Between 11 and 12 of June 2019, a workshop was held jointly with UNODC Global Firearms Programme (GFP) and the Government of the Province of Cordoba (Argentina) to enhance data collection and analysis efforts, and thus strengthen the provincial and national capacities in monitoring illicit firearms trafficking flows through the implementation of mechanisms that will also measure the indicator 16.4.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Coordinator of the Observatory, Roberto González, stressed the importance of combining and increasing efforts of the different institutions in the province of Cordoba to collect and analyse data related to firearms trafficking to better understand its incidence in the criminal context. Following a number of presentations conducted by UNODC Global Firearms Programme, where it was stressed that firearms data collection and analysis is crucial for both achieving and monitoring the achievement of target 16.4 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs), the workshop organised a number of working group exercises. The aim of these sessions was to understand the relevant data collection methods and ways related to firearms in each institution. The focus was on data dissemination and analysis as well as on the relevant indicators that are required to fully understand the situation of illicit firearms in Cordoba province.
The workshop brought together officials of the Observatory of Studies on Coexistence and Citizen Security of the province, Prosecutor's Office, Judicial Power, Judicial Police, Scientific Police, and students and teachers from the universities located in the province. The participants got engaged in a very active debate, and the meeting proved particularly useful for the purpose of enhancing the understanding on UNODC's efforts in firearms data collection, specifically on its Illicit Arms Flows Questionnaire (IAFQ). Indeed, it was agreed to carry out a provincial study within the framework of the "Firearms Champion Country Initiative".
It also served as a platform to highlights the benefits of comprehensive and regular firearms data collection and analysis as well as the need for strategic partnership between different institutions to reach that end. Moreover, it allowed to discuss specific questions on the interpretation of data provided by the Argentinian authorities via the IAFQ and the need to combine data collection and monitoring systems across provinces.