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.
Sep 25, 2020 | Uncategorized
On 23 September 2020, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in collaboration with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, conducted a second course on Introduction to forensic ballistics for firearm examiner trainees. This event was made possible thanks to the funding received by the government of the United States of America.
The overall forensic ballistics project seeks to improve casework management by reviewing and developing streamlined work processes, case allocation protocols and a National Action Plan (NAP) to manage unprocessed ballistics casework in Trinidad and Tobago. The NAP aims to build capacity in both the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) and Forensic Science Centre (TTFSC) by providing introductory training in ballistics for police officers and further integrate the Firearms Technicians at the Firearms Section by building capacity in comparison microscopy.
This second round of virtual introductory training and awareness of operational forensic ballistics was delivered to 21 firearm examiner trainees (police officers and forensic staff), all of whom are new to the discipline, with an understanding of forensic ballistics, UNLIREC standard operating procedures (SOPs) on the collection and collation of crime scene evidence, firearms safety during forensic processes and test firing procedures. On 4 June 2020, similar training was delivered to 10 police armourers and police officials assigned to the Special Evidence Recovery Unit of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.
For one week – prior to the live online sessions – participants engaged in self-based learning through CBSI Connect learning management system whereby they could access UNLIREC’s pre-recorded materials on the matter.
UNLIREC, as the regional organ of the UN Office for Disarmament, 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 on Small Arms.
Sep 22, 2020 | Uncategorized
On 16-17 September 2020, with the financial support of the Government of Germany, UNLIREC carried out an online seminar to highlight the relevance of conventional arms and ammunition control measures for national security and to present internationally recognized technical guidelines that could strengthen Argentinian efforts against illicit arms and ammunition trafficking.
Over 60 officials from national institutions with responsibility for implementation of arms and ammunition control participated in the seminar, including the Ministry of Defense, Argentinian Army, Navy and Air Force, Argentinian Military Industry (Fabricaciones Militares SE) and the Institute of Scientific and Technical Research for Defense (CITEDEF).
Given the impact of the proliferation and diversion of arms and ammunition on armed violence and illicit trafficking in the region, UNLIREC sensitized stakeholders about the importance of implementing effective conventional arms and ammunition control measures to reduce the risk of illegal proliferation and diversion.
The seminar focused on fundamental concepts, obligations and guidelines contained in international instruments and technical guidelines regarding arms and ammunition control, including physical security and stockpile management, as well as marking, tracing, demilitarization and destruction, among others.
Panellists from the Argentinian Army, Navy, Argentinian Military Industry and the Institute of Scientific and the Technical Research for Defense – CITEDEF delivered presentations on the national regulations in force and practical measures that Argentina implements regarding stockpile management, as well as demilitarization and destruction of ammunitions.
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.
Sep 10, 2020 | Uncategorized
United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in coordination with the Office of Cooperation and International Relations and the Technical Secretariat on Gender of the Judicial Branch of Costa Rica, conducted its Specialised Course on Firearms Investigations from a Gender Perspective (FIGP) from 25 August to 4 September, 2020.
More than thirty officials from the Judicial Branch were trained, including prosecutors from the Public Ministry, investigators from the Judicial Investigation Agency, and training managers – specialising in firearms – from the JIA Judicial School.
The course took place virtually and was divided into six interactive meetings, in which participants were able to share their experiences and converse with UNLIREC instructors. The course addressed aspects (theoretical and technical) of criminal investigations and the way in which gender perspective – as a method of analysis –contributes to formulating conclusions free of stereotypes, based on objective scientific or technical studies grounded in appropriate theory. Case studies highlighted the absence of a gender perspective in firearms investigations and the violation of rights this implies for victims and their families.
The course highlighted the importance of appropriately handling the crime scene and firearms and ammunition as physical evidence in the gendered investigation of crimes against women. Throughout the course, good practices were shared, and participants were urged to strengthen coordination and cooperation between all actors involved in the different stages of the judicial investigation, with the aim of optimising their individual and collective efforts to tackle firearms-related crimes. This requires special attention to cases of gender-based violence, thus contributing to reductions in impunity levels and to strengthening the capacities of institutions in the justice and security sectors.
Finally, there was a practical group exercise via a newly developed on-line platform, whereby participants had to apply the content observed in the classes: preservation of the crime scene, search and prioritisation of evidence supported by the gender perspective for the formulation of the preliminary hypothesis of events.
To conclude the course, Magistrate Roxana Chacón Artavia, coordinator of the Gender Commission of the Judicial Branch, thanked UNLIREC for organising the course, and stressed that “Without a doubt, everything that officials of the Judicial Branch learned will be very useful in the analysis and investigation of cases, which is indeed what we had intended – that there is important training so that they can resolve different events with a gender perspective”. She also thanked the Office of Cooperation and International Relations and the Technical Secretariat on Gender of the Judicial Branch for their efforts in carrying out the course, the head of the Judicial Investigation Agency, the Attorney General of the Republic and the head of the Judicial School for accepting the invitation and thus contributing to the inter-institutional approach to the problem.
This activity forms part of UNLIREC’s ‘Women, Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-proliferation Programme’, supported by the Government of Canada and the European Union.
