2. The Specific Context of the Assignment
Today, sanctions are being used to restrict illicit acquisition of the goods needed to produce advanced conventional weapons. Recent sanctions packages have imposed restrictions on general electronic goods and components that can also be used in military systems, further complicating compliance.
These developments have important implications for private sector entities. These entities must ensure that they comply with the various sanctions regimes that are now in place to prevent illicit transactions related to advanced conventional weapons systems and associated components.
To avoid significant consequences, firms need to be able to quickly and accurately identify any illicit transactions that might violate sanctions regulations. This requires robust compliance measures and the ability to quickly assess risk and take appropriate action to address any potential violations. Firms that fail to comply with sanctions’ regulations could face significant penalties and even risk being forced to suspend their operations entirely.
Therefore, it is critical for public or private entities to have a strong understanding of the current sanctions landscape and to invest in compliance measures to minimize the economic and security risks associated with doing business in regions that are subject to sanctions. By staying informed and taking proactive steps to ensure compliance, firms can continue to operate successfully and avoid any negative consequences that might result from noncompliance with sanctions regulations.
The project aims to improve the operational capacity of the beneficiaries by remaining compliant with the existing restrictive regimes. The specific activity will serve as a tool to bring to light possible operational gaps and institutional deficiencies, as well as the risks of ACW proliferation through Armenian supply-chains.
One international senior expert and one local senior non-key expert (SNKE 1 and SNKE 2) will be recruited by the project to deliver the policy paper.
3. Assignment Objectives, Tasks and Outputs
Objective
The objective of the assignment is to develop an operational manual to prevent illicit transactions related to ACW proliferation in Armenia.
Specific Objectives
The specific objectives of the assignment are:
- To review open-source information on imposed sanctions packages and the restricted goods under the framework of Western sanctions regimes.
- Based on the above, provide international best practices and recommendations for effective mitigation of ACW proliferation and safeguarding against involuntary participation in illicit transactions.
- Review the Armenian legislative norms and institutional arrangement to identify the gaps and deficiencies in mitigating the ACW-proliferation risks and a robust application of the sanctions regime.
- Based on the above, to demonstrate the security threats for state, non-state and proliferator actors.
- To draft recommendations for state actors to improve legislative and institutional management in the ACW and sanctions fields; and enhance the understanding and management of the ACW proliferation supply-chain risks.
Outputs
The Outputs associated with the assignment will include:
- 1 Operational Document
- Language: English
- Length: up to 40 pages
Finalized outputs of this assignment should be prepared in accordance with the Project templates, where applicable, and be submitted to the Project Coordinator in electronic format for review, approval, translation, formal submission to the relevant beneficiary organizations, and publication, where appropriate.