Oct 23, 2020 | Uncategorized
On 23 October, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education of Peru, conducted a webinar on “Initiatives to address and prevent the presence and use of firearms in schools”.
This event was held over two days, with close to 300 participants. The vast majority were specialists in school coexistence from the Local Education Management Unit (UGEL) from different regions and departments in Peru, school psychologists, officials and technical staff from the Ministry of Education, as well as various representatives from the National Superintendence of Control of Security Services, Weapons, Ammunition and Explosives for Civilian Use (SUCAMEC), the Ministry of Interior and the National Police.
As part of the online event, UNLIREC shared the most relevant findings from its recent study on ‘Firearms in Latin American and Caribbean Schools: Approaches, Challenges and Responses’. This regional study, in addition to analyzing the main manifestations of this phenomenon, also compiled a series of responses and measures that are being implemented in some countries of the region to address this phenomenon. Some examples include regulatory frameworks prohibiting the presence and use of firearms in schools, safe storage measures, registration and information systems, action guides and protocols, awareness-raising and education campaigns, among others. UNLIREC also shared some policy recommendations to ensure a comprehensive approach to the presence and use of firearms in schools. As part of the recommendations included in the study, UNLIREC indicated that it is essential to consider the role of young people as agents of change and involve them, their families and communities, in designing and implementing armed violence prevention strategies.
With respect to Peru, in particular, participants indicated that although few cases have been recorded in recent years, the educational community and wider society are unaware of the scale and severity of this phenomenon. In this sense, the importance of having diagnostics and information systems to report and record cases of this nature was highlighted. Regarding these types of measures, it is important to point out that Peru has a Specialized System for Attending to Cases of School Violence (SiSeVe), which allows anyone who has been a victim or witness of school violence to make a complaint on the platform. It also considers incidents with firearms. This tool is fundamental for designing a comprehensive response to address and prevent episodes with firearms in schools.
In addition, participants indicated that it is important to move forward with the development of orientation guides and protocols to address potential episodes of the presence and use of firearms in schools. The need to strengthen coordinated and sectoral work among different institutions (education, security, childhood, arms control, among others) to prevent the presence and use of firearms in Peruvian schools was also stressed.
This space for dialogue was made possible thanks to the valuable financial contribution of the Government of Sweden.
Oct 19, 2020 | Uncategorized
From 19-21 October, UNLIREC conducted two training sessions for 25 officials and sub-officials from the Logistics Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of El Salvador. The first session, held on 19 October, consisted of a Seminar on the classification of firearms and ammunition, which provided a general introduction to concepts, types of firearms and ammunition, their characteristics, technical specifications, among other aspects.
Subsequently, on 20 and 21 October, UNLIREC conducted a virtual technical workshop on physical security and effective management of firearms and ammunition applicable to judicial deposits. Worldwide, it is widely recognized that state deposits, including deposits or storage facilities where seized firearms or ammunition are safeguarded and serve as evidence in judicial processes, may be prone to loss, theft and robbery. Consequently, they compromise the integrity of the evidence, not only affecting the investigation and criminal justice processes, but also the imminent risk that firearms and ammunition will be diverted to criminal groups with the implications this has in terms of citizen security for societies.
In this context, and with the objective of strengthening technical capabilities of personnel in charge of custody and control of firearms and ammunition that are safeguarded in the country’s judicial deposits, these sessions provided participants with training in risk assessment and management, guidelines on physical security, as well as management and storage of firearms and ammunition applicable to judicial deposits. All of this is based on good practices and international standards such as the Modular Small Arms Control Implementation Compendium (MOSAIC) and the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATGs). These sessions were complemented by a practical exercise where participants applied the knowledge developed during this workshop, specifically on risk assessment and management.
Both activities were developed as part of the technical assistance that UNLIREC provides the Government of El Salvador to strengthen and develop national capacities to effectively and transparently manage small arms and ammunition, in line with international instruments and commitments regarding the subject. These events were financed by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany and the UN Trust Facility Supporting Cooperation on Arms Regulation (UNSCAR), respectively.
Oct 15, 2020 | Uncategorized
On 15 October 2020, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador, conducted a seminar on measures for preventing armed violence against women.
Approximately 40 officials from the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Justice and Security, and Defense (Arms Registry Department), the National Civil Police (Gender Unit) and the Salvadoran Institute for the Development of Women (ISDEMU) participated in the one-day virtual event.
UNLIREC launched the seminar with an overview and analysis of statistics on armed violence and violence against women (VAW) in El Salvador and the wider Latin American and Caribbean region, emphasizing feminicides and the impact influence of firearms on the various types of VAW (physical, sexual and psychological). Subsequently, UNLIREC presented the findings from its legal study on the link between rules on gender-based violence and small arms control and regulatory standards.
ISDEMU participated in discussions in order to promote a comprehensive and interinstitutional approach to the problem by exploring the various policies implemented in El Salvador vis-à-vis the prevention of VAW.
Finally, there was a walkthrough of the various strategies selected by the countries of the region to prevent and address VAW during social isolation and confinement measures throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and recommendations on how to integrate firearms control into these initiatives, and vice versa; that is, recommendations to integrate gender perspectives and prevention of VAW into firearms control measures. The need to evaluate the continued implementation of some measures and recommendations beyond the pandemic was also addressed.
A common theme of the event was the importance of coordination and cooperation among institutions with responsibilities in the prevention of VAW and care for victims, and the control and regulation of firearms and ammunition.
This activity forms part of UNLIREC’s ‘Women, Disarmament, Non-proliferation and Arms Control Programme’, supported by the Government of Canada and the European Union.
Sep 30, 2020 | Uncategorized
On 30 September, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) and Instituto Sou da Paz conducted a webinar on the challenges and solutions for firearms use and possession in schools in Latin America and the Caribbean.
UNLIREC shared the most relevant findings of its recent study entitled Firearms in Latin American and Caribbean Schools: approaches, challenges and responses to a predominantly Brazilian audience. UNLIREC highlighted the fact that in recent years there has been an increasing amount of news in the media about the presence and use of firearms in schools in some countries in the region. This UNLIREC-led media monitoring study identifies the means of addressing this phenomenon and its detrimental impact by analysing over 120 cases of the presence and use of firearms in schools reported by digital media in countries across the region over a period of 9 years (between June 2010 and July 2019).
The most common manifestations of this growing phenomenon include firearms incidents taking place inside schools; students carrying firearms among their belongings; armed students who threaten and intimidate their peers and teachers; injuries and fatalities as a consequence of intentional or accidental shootings inside schools, among others. According to the findings of this study, the most common type of firearms in reported incidents were revolvers and pistols, accounting for 36% and 32%, respectively.
Likewise, with respect to where the firearms came from, it was possible to identify that in at least 25 cases, the source of firearms was directly related to the homes of the students involved. This serves as an alert as to the importance of establishing measures of safe storage for firearms carriers.
This regional approach was complemented by a national and local look at the manifestations, impacts and challenges of this phenomenon in Brazil in recent years. This analysis was carried out by representatives of Instituto Sou da Paz, the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO – Brazil), as well as a specialist member of the Public Ministry of the State of São Paulo.
The panelists agreed that the presence and use of firearms in schools and the motivations that lead students to bring a firearm to school is nourished by different factors, such as the dynamics of violence in schools, the characteristics of community contexts in which the schools are located, easy access to firearms, bullying, cultural and social acceptation of firearms seen as symbols of power, authority, respect, and masculinity, among others. In this respect, the importance of ensuring an integrated approach to prevent this phenomenon was indicated.
As part of the webinar agenda, different measures and initiatives that are being implemented in some countries of the region were shared, paying special attention to preventing the presence and use of firearms in schools, such as: protocols and guidelines for action and prevention of the presence and use of firearms in schools; tools for the collection and management of information; awareness raising campaigns and education directed at students with regard to the use of firearms and armed violence; among other initiatives focused on strengthening schools as spaces that are safe and free from armed violence.
This webinar was attended by more that 70 people from Brazil and other countries in the region linked to the public sectors of education, childhood and adolescence, security, arms control, as well as representatives of agencies of the United Nations System, international cooperation bodies, civil society organizations, academia and specialists.
This discussion space was made possible thanks to the valuable financial contribution from the Government of Sweden.
For more information, please contact:
UNLIREC
Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer
cowl@unlirec.org
Instituto Sou da Paz
Izabelle Mundim, Press Advisor
izabelle@soudapaz.org
Sep 30, 2020 | Uncategorized
The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) is pleased to announce the official launching of the Spanish and French versions of the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATGs). The IATG support States in their efforts to improve national stockpile management with a view to significantly reducing the hazard to local communities from unplanned explosions, as well as negate the risks to wider communities posed by the uncontrolled proliferation of ammunition.
These Guidelines – originally made available to an English-speaking audience in 2011 under the UN Safer Guard Programme – form a frame of reference to achieve and demonstrate effective levels of safety and security of ammunition stockpiles. Based on sound and accepted explosive science, they provide an integrated approach to a quality management ammunition system and allow for progressive and integrated improvements in safety and security in line with good practice and international normative and legal frameworks.
Currently, the IATG (version 2) are available in the following languages: Arabic, English, Portuguese and Russian. A few modules have also been translated into German.
As of September 2020, the Guidelines are available in both Spanish and French, thanks to funding from the governments of Germany and Switzerland, respectively. To access the complete compendium of Guidelines, please access the following link: https://www.un.org/disarmament/un-saferguard/guide-lines/
Sep 29, 2020 | Uncategorized
On 29 September 2020, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) held an online legal workshop for Haitian authorities to present the main findings of its recent legal study on weapons, ammunition and explosives, as well as the legal dictum on the country’s Bill on the manufacture, commercialization, possession, control and carrying of firearms, approved by the Senate of Haiti.
Representatives of various national institutions, among which were the Ministers of Defense, Interior and Justice, were presented with recommendations on how to align the national legal framework with international instruments on firearms and ammunition control. Additionally, UNLIREC also shared the conclusions deriving from the legal dictum and recommendations for the improvement of the Bill.
The legal workshop promoted dialogue between national authorities about the importance of effective legal tools to reduce the risk of illegal proliferation and diversion. UNLIREC highlighted the importance of the national discussion process for the improvement of the current bill, and therefore, for the reduction of armed violence and illicit trafficking.
During the sessions, participants stressed the need to strengthen national legislation by harmonizing the national framework with international instruments while UNLIREC emphasized its willingness to continue to support national efforts in this process.
The Seminar was organized with the financial support of the Peacebuilding Fund, implemented by UNDP and in response to a request from the Department of Peace Operations (DPO), the Office for Disarmament Affairs (ODA), and the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti.
For more information on UNLIREC, visit www.unlirec.org. Please direct all questions or inquiries to: Ms. Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer at cowl@unlirec.org.
