On 24 April 2023, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), together with the Canadian High Commission, handed over to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago a Containerized Evidence Storage Solution with fabricated secured cages and shelves, for the storage of ballistic evidence at the Forensic Science Centre to address firearms related crimes.
The handover ceremony was attended by the Hon. Fitzgerald Hinds, Minister of National Security, Mr. Derrick Sankar, Director of the Forensic Science Centre, Mr. Arif Keshani, representative of the High Commissioner of Canada to Trinidad and Tobago and Ms. Soledad Urruela, Director of UNLIREC. After the ceremony, the Director of UNLIREC met with the Trinidad and Tobago authorities to discuss future technical assistance in Trinidad and Tobago.
The container, as a new storage space solution, will be used to keep evidence – mainly arms and ammunition – under custody ,providing improved physical security, access control and storage management and registration.
As part of the donation, UNLIREC provided expert guidance on the customization of the container with materials such as steel shelves, metallic doors, high security padlocks, and a laptop computer, among others. Thanks to this donation Trinidad and Tobago is now in compliance with high-security international standards and good practices to ensure proper management of arms depots, thus contributing to reduce the diversion of firearms.
This donation was made in the framework of the technical assistance that UNLIREC provides to Trinidad and Tobago through the project “SUPPORT IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CARIBBEAN FIREARMS ROADMAP ” with funding from the Government of Canada.
From 17 to 19 April, as part of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap initiative, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), carried out technical assessments of state armouries in St. Kitts and Nevis.
During the assessment the UNLIREC’s Technical advisor reviewed the weapons and ammunition management practices implemented at the facilities. This assistance aims to strengthen the physical security and stockpile management practices in St. Kitts and Nevis, to prevent diversion of weapons and ammunition from governmental arsenals into illicit markets. The assessment was conducted in accordance with international guidelines including the United Nations Modular Small-arms-control Implementation Compendium (MOSAIC) and the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG).
In addition, on 19th April, UNLIREC also met with government representatives to present preliminary findings from the visit and to coordinate future activities in line with the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap and St. Kitts and Nevis’ National Action Plan to combat illicit firearms trafficking.
UNLIREC, as the regional office of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), seeks to advance the cause of practical disarmament in Latin America and the Caribbean as part of its commitment to support Member States in their implementation of international disarmament and non-proliferation instruments, in particular the 2001 UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons. This assistance was made possible with the generous financial support of the government of United States of America.
On 27 March 2023 the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) hosted the first regional Monitoring, Evaluation & Data Collection webinar. The aim of the webinar was to sensitize States on the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, focusing on the practical steps States will need to take to collect and enter their annual reporting data in order to measure their progress in the implementation of the Roadmap.
Sixteen officials from Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana and St Kitts and Nevis participated, representing the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of National Security, Trinidad and Tobago Ministry for Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, Trinidad and Tobago Police Force, Trinidad and Tobago Forensic Science Centre, Trinidad and Tobago Customs and Excise, Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force, Strategic Services Agency, Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of the Attorney General and Office of Legal Affairs, Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago and Trinidad and Tobago Prison Service, Guyana Ministry of Home Affairs, and St Kitts and Nevis Forensic Laboratory.
The Monitoring and Evaluation Reporting Platform was presented, showcasing how States, through their Monitoring and Evaluation focal points, will be able to generate their State National Action Plans and report against their national Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) annually and with greater ease.
The Caribbean Firearms Roadmap is a regional umbrella framework adopted by CARICOM States and the Dominican Republic in 2020, in which States commit themselves to implement actions against illicit firearms trafficking and make the Caribbean a safer region. To date, 16 countries in the region have formally adopted the Roadmap and begun the process of identifying their national priorities via a National Action Plan (NAP). There is commitment across the region to implement sustainable solutions to the prevention and combat of illicit proliferation of firearms and ammunition that are consistent with international norms and the Caribbean context.
This activity was made possible with funding from the Government of Canada and was carried out in line with the 2001 UN Programme of Action on Small Arms and with 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular Goal 16 and target 16.4.
From 13 to 15 March 2023, officials from the Barbados Police Service, Barbados Defence Force and Customs and Excise Department participated in the virtual Physical Security and Stockpile Management (PSSM) Training Workshop which sought to strengthen States’ capacities to reinforce national mechanisms to reduce and prevent the diversion of conventional weapons and ammunition and improve law enforcement capacity to secure stockpile facilities.
As a result of this workshop national officers are now more knowledgeable on international standards and best practices in physical security and stockpile management, marking and recordkeeping. The topics covered addressed the relevance of national mechanisms to reduce and prevent the diversion of firearms and ammunition from national stockpiles.
The PSSM Training Workshop forms part of the technical assistance provided by the Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) within the “Preventing Diversion of Conventional Arms and Ammunition in the Caribbean” funded by the United States of America.
It should be noted that this course also contributes to Goal 4 of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap, “Systematically decrease the risk of diversion of firearms and ammunition from government- and non-government-owned arsenals”, and thus aids regional efforts to prevent illicit trafficking in firearms and ammunition and armed violence in the Caribbean.
From 6 to 8 December 2022, officials from the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force of St. Kitts and Nevis and the Saint Kitts and Nevis Defence Force participated in the virtual Physical Security and Stockpile Management (PSSM) training workshop.
Through presentations and practical exercises, participants were introduced to international standards and best practices in stockpile management, physical security and stockpile management, marking and recordkeeping as well as firearms and ammunition destruction procedures.
The PSSM training workshop forms part of the technical assistance provided by UNLIREC under the ‘Preventing Diversion of Conventional Arms and Ammunition in the Caribbean’ project, funded by the United States of America. This specialized workshop aims at strengthening States’ capacities, on this occasion in St. Kitts and Nevis, to reinforce national mechanisms to reduce and prevent the diversion of conventional weapons and ammunition and improve security sector forces’ capacities in securing stockpile facilities.
It should be noted that this workshop contributes to Goal 4 of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap, entitled ‘Systematically decrease the risk of diversion of firearms and ammunition from government- and non-government-owned arsenals’, thus aiding regional efforts to prevent illicit trafficking in firearms and ammunition and armed violence in the Caribbean.
29 November 2022 – For the second consecutive year, representatives from the Caribbean met to discuss progress in the implementation of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap. This meeting was organized by the United Nations Regional Center for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) and the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) to discuss progress in its implementation during this year.. Over 50 representatives from beneficiary Caribbean States, partners and the donor community participated in this online event to take stock of the progress made to date.
The Roadmap aims to accelerate and bolster States’ efforts to prevent and combat the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons among the 15 CARICOM States and the Dominican Republic. The Roadmap serves as a guiding document for commonly agreed levels of performance at the strategic, policy and operational levels. It was developed in 2019 under the auspices of the Federal Republic of Germany and the United States of America and formally adopted in October 2020.
It is worth noting that during 2022 the 16 States participating in the Roadmap made significant efforts; seven of them: Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Grenada, Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia and Haiti, completed and formally approved their National Action Plans on firearms; and are now beginning its implementation. In addition, five States – Barbados, Jamaica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago-, completed the drafting process.
These Plans outline States priorities in combating the illicit trafficking in firearms and ammunition and help to track progress by serving as a monitoring and tracking tool. Remaining States are also well on their way to progressing towards formal adoption of these Action Plans and thus contributing to enhanced firearms control in the region. Close to USD5 million has been invested in the region over the past three years allowing the delivery of over 200 activities designed to support the four Goals of the Roadmap.
The annual meeting was preceded by preparatory exchanges, organized by UNLIREC and CARICOM IMPACS – as the co-custodians and main implementing partners of the Caribbean Roadmap. The first included the different key implementing partners on the Roadmap, namely the UN Development Programme, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Customs Organization, the Organization of American States, INTERPOL, and Small Arms Survey, to inform and collaborate on upcoming partner activities in support of the Roadmap. While the second was aimed at the donor community, including Germany, Canada, the United States , the European Union, and the United Kingdom that provides essential financial support to partners and beneficiary States.
The Roadmap takes into consideration the provisions included in the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects. Its implementation also contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular Goal 16 and target 16.4 which seeks to significantly reduce illicit arms flows.
