April 28–29, 2026 – Caribbean countries took an important step toward promoting more inclusive and effective security policies by strengthening their capacities to integrate arms control considerations into the design and implementation of National Action Plans (NAPs) under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS). The training course was delivered by the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in collaboration with UN Women and the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR).
The course aimed to strengthen the technical and institutional capacities of key stakeholders to integrate arms control and armed violence prevention perspectives into WPS National Action Plans. It also sought to promote the systematic integration of gender perspectives into the National Action Plans developed under the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap.
“It is essential that these two agendas engage with one another: that 1325 Action Plans incorporate a small arms control perspective, and that firearms Action Plans integrate a gender perspective. This space is intended to place the convergence of both agendas at the center of the discussion,” said Soledad Urruela during the opening session.
Held virtually on April 28 and 29, the workshop brought together government officials and representatives of organizations from Belize, Barbados, Jamaica, Haiti, Saint Lucia, Grenada, Guyana, Suriname, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago. Participants included professionals working in citizen security, small arms control, and gender equality policies. The activity was funded by the Government of Canada and forms part of broader collaborative efforts to advance the implementation of international commitments related to peace, security, and gender equality.
“What makes this course particularly valuable is that it brings together two communities that do not always collaborate closely in practice: those working on firearms control and those advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda,” said Sarah Douglas.
Throughout the two sessions, participants explored key international frameworks on arms control and their links to the gender agenda. The training also provided a platform for exchanging experiences and addressing challenges related to the implementation of disarmament initiatives across the region, as well as existing gaps in the protection of women and girls from armed violence.
Participants highlighted the importance of strengthening collaboration between citizen security and gender equality stakeholders, and identified concrete actions to integrate both approaches into public policies.
The first day focused on conceptual presentations and regional context delivered by the organizing agencies, while the second day was dedicated to a simulation exercise on the development of a National Action Plan under UNSCR 1325. For this exercise, the UNIDIR toolkit, Addressing Weapons-Related Risks in Women, Peace and Security National Action Plans, served as a key resource.
During the opening session, representatives from UN Women, UNLIREC, CARICOM, and the Government of Canada underscored the need for coordinated action to address arms proliferation and its gender-differentiated impacts. They reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening national and regional capacities to promote sustainable peace through prevention, participation, and the protection of women’s rights in security contexts.
This workshop marks another step toward strengthening regional efforts to align arms control and armed violence prevention initiatives with gender equality and the empowerment of women as fundamental pillars of sustainable peacebuilding.
To learn more about the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap and the integration of a gender perspective into arms control initiatives, visit UNLIREC.