May 7, 2018 | Uncategorized
This year, the Global Week of Action Against Gun Violence takes place on May 7-14, and focuses on the theme: “End the Crisis of Gun Violence.” In observance of this Week, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) has published a recent study on “the necessary linkage between legislation on gender-based violence and the regulations and controls governing small arms.”
The Global Week of Action Against Gun Violence is an annual initiative hosted by the global network of civil society with a view to creating a forum that highlights the international campaign to stop the proliferation and misuse of small arms. This initiative promotes the effective implementation of the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons and raises awareness of armed violence and its consequences in society. One of the themes this year is the enactment or strengthening of legislation to disarm perpetrators of domestic violence.
Recently, UNLIREC prepared a legal study that analyzes the link between the legislation on small arms and the legislation governing the prevention and eradication of violence against women, with specific reference to Peru. The study presents a conceptual approach to gender-based violence and violence against women which then emphasizes the need for more effective national legislation to address the impact of the possession and carrying of small arms on women. The study also proposes a series of conclusions and recommendations on how to tackle the problem of small arms and gender-based violence.
The complete study can be downloaded at the following link: https://www.unlirec.org/documents/Estudiolegal_ViolenciaMujer.pdf
By providing assistance to Latin American and Caribbean States, UNLIREC contributes to the enhancement of public security and the implementation of the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (UN 2001 PoA).
For more information on UNLIREC, please visit (www.unlirec.org) or contact Ms. Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer (cowl@unlirec.org).
Apr 19, 2018 | Uncategorized
The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) continues to assist States in the region in their efforts to effectively implement the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). On 19-20 April, UNLIREC and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Guatemala held a Technical Workshop to Analyse Legislative Loopholes in the Implementation of the ATT.
The workshop was second of the project activities funded by the Arms Trade Treaty Voluntary Trust Fund, of which Guatemala is a beneficiary state and in which UNLIREC, at the request of the Guatemalan authorities, is an implementing partner.
The workshop was directed to national authorities from sectors involved in controlling conventional arms transfers or from other areas responsible for the implementation of the ATT. As such, the workshop had 23 participants from various state entities, such as Directorate-General for the Control of Arms and Ammunition, National Civil Police, Customs Authorities, INTERPOL, Directorate-General for Private Security Services, as well as the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
UNLIREC presented the preliminary conclusions of its analysis of the Guatemala´s national legislation and its compliance with the treaty provisions. This presentation opened the dialogue seeking to identify gaps in the legislation and to propose ways to amend it to advance in the implementation of the legislative ambit of the treaty. The discussions contributed towards an improved final legislative review document as well as towards the establishment of a set of practical recommendations, aiding the national process of effectively complying with the international instrument.
Apr 11, 2018 | Uncategorized
From 11-12 April 2018, UNLIREC and El Salvador held a workshop entitled “Discussion on the Preparation of a National Control List” in San Salvador. In attendance were legal advisors and technical staff responsible for ATT implementation from the Policy Directorate, the Logistics Directorate and the Arms and Explosives Division of the Ministry of National Defence, Customs Authorities, the Joint General Staff of the Armed Forces and the National Civil Police.
The main objective of this workshop was to emphasize, as prescribed by the ATT, the creation of a control list as an essential part of a national control system for conventional arms transfers. As such, among the topics discussed were the relevant criteria to be included in the list in alignment with the Treaty, as well as the need to consider the national context. Several national control lists implemented by countries both within and outside the region were also presented as examples. These discussions contribute significantly towards successful ATT implementation on a national level.
The UNLIREC team likewise addressed the obligation, as mandated by the Treaty, to submit initial and annual reports to the ATT Secretariat. The participants acknowledged the need to improve coordination among the various areas within the Ministry of Defence, as well as to keep more precise and detailed records to feed into these reports. Representatives opined that the submission of these reports and the registration of conventional arms could fall under the jurisdiction of the National Authority envisaged in a draft decree, which is currently under review.
This workshop formed part of the joint ATT project in El Salvador, funded by the ATT Secretariat’s Voluntary Trust Fund, and concludes the project’s series of three activities, which began in November 2017.
Apr 5, 2018 | Uncategorized
On 5-6 April 2018, UNLIREC undertook a Sub-regional Seminar on “Progress and Challenges in Private Security Regulation and Oversight in Central America and the Dominican Republic”, held in San José, Costa Rica. This Seminar served as a forum for member countries of the Central American Integration System (SICA) to discuss issues of good governance and oversight in the private security sector.
This Seminar was attended by authorities and technical personnel from regulatory agencies responsible for private security in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic; representatives of SICA’s Secretary General and the Commission of Police Chiefs and Directors of Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean and Colombia. Representatives of the private security sector and civil society organizations were also present.
The participants engaged in an open and fruitful discussion, sharing information regarding their respective countries, as well as the progress and challenges witnessed in the regulation of private security services. They also proposed regulations, international standards and good guiding practices that promote effective governance and arms control in that sector so as to contribute to the enhancement of the public security efforts made by States both nationally and regionally.
During the seminar, participants acknowledged the need to address private security challenges – particularly arms and ammunition control in the sector – within existing sub-regional integration and cooperation mechanisms.
This Seminar was developed within the framework of the project entitled “Strengthening Oversight and Building Capacities for Small Arms Control and Nonproliferation in the Private Security Sector.” The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) launched this project in collaboration with the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) and with the financial support of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Mar 21, 2018 | Uncategorized
From 21-23 March, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), carried out its first binational Firearms and Ammunition Evidence Management Course (EMC) in Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis. It was the fifth EMC delivered in the Caribbean as part of UNLIREC’s Operational Forensic Ballistics (OFB) project.
The EMC responds to a need for strengthened coordination and practical training on best practices to process a scene under investigation across the region. The course also increases the knowledge base of the relevant international and national legal frameworks and examines the chain of custody process. The transnational nature of illicit firearms trafficking and gun related crimes as well as the resulting need for enhanced cooperation among security sector personnel and justice officials in Barbados and the OECS states for criminal investigations, underpin these and other types of inter-institutional training courses.
26 justice and law enforcement and judicial participants, including firearms examiners, forensic laboratory personnel, crime scene investigators, police prosecutors and public prosecutors were trained during the course. One participant noted that the course “will certainly lead to consistency in approach to the proper investigation of crime scenes”.
The EMC training was led by international subject matter experts and contained modules on ‘Firearms and Ammunition Identification’, ‘Legal Considerations in Criminal Investigations’, ‘Evidence Management at the Crime Scene’, ‘Evidence Examination and Analysis in the Laboratory’, ‘Intelligence and Investigation Tools’, as well as field exercises. Participants also benefitted from presentations by Crown Counsel, Office of Public Prosecutions, on the national legislative context to prosecute firearms-related offenses and by INTERPOL on addressing firearms trafficking, firearms tracing, and investigative tools.
The EMC is part of UNLIREC’s Caribbean Operational Forensic Ballistics Assistance Package, which is made possible thanks to the support of the governments of Canada, Germany, and the United States of America.
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.
Mar 20, 2018 | Uncategorized
The Hazardous Materials Workshop: Introduction to Post-Blast Investigations/Explosive Precursor Chemical was held from 20 to 22 March in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The event was organized by the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) in cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The activity was made possible by the generous financial support provided by the Government of Canada and with material assistance provided by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago.
The participants received targeted training on explosives and hazardous materials, with special focus on improvised explosive devices and explosive precursor chemicals commonly present in the region. As such, the training was tailored to suit the needs of national law enforcement and defense officials working in the Caribbean. At the end of the training, the participants were guided through a hands-on post-blast crime scene investigation.
The 52 participants came from Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Grenada, Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. This event concludes the series of Hazardous Materials Workshops organized by UNLIREC in cooperation with the FBI in the course of 2015-2018.
