Jul 21, 2017 | Uncategorized
Latin America and the Caribbean have, in general terms, experienced a dramatic increase in armed violence in recent years, driven in large part by the illicit trafficking of firearms, its parts/components, and ammunition. Public policies against illicit arms trafficking in Latin America and the Caribbean have led to an increased use of X-ray technology for the screening of postal shipments. Thus, states have called on the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) to provide specialized interdiction tools and X-ray screening training to help combat illicit arms trade by developing a Course for Interdicting Small Arms in Postal Shipments (ISA PS). The project’s main goal is to boost the capacity of Latin American and Caribbean states to reduce the distribution of illicit arms and their parts/components via postal shipments.
Crucial milestones of the project were the development of an Arms, Ammunition, Parts and Components Identification Guide in collaboration between UNLIREC and CASRA, and a pilot course and study in Costa Rica.
For more information related to this capacity building initiative, please see Newsletter Issue 16 of the Center for Adaptive Security Research and Applications (CASRA) at https://www.casra.ch/en/about-us/casra-newsletter.html
Source: CASRA: https://www.casra.ch/en/about-us/casra-news
Jul 16, 2017 | Uncategorized
The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) and the United Nations Volunteer Programme (UNV) have been developing the regional Project entitled Youth volunteerism for Peacebuilding and Disarmament: Youth Measuring Security in the Communities through Participatory Indicators in Peru, Colombia, Honduras and Trinidad and Tobago. The objective of the project is to implement the 2030 Agenda, to increase the competencies of volunteer leaders with respect to SDG 16, youth, peace, security, disarmament and volunteering. It also seeks to develop indicators to measure the perception of violence and security in their communities through a participatory methodology and the promotion of the role of youth as a relevant player in promoting peace.
Four workshops were held in the city of Trujillo, Peru, under the theme of Youth, Peace and Disarmament, within the framework of the activities of the Joint United Nations Human Security Programme, which has been carrying out various activities in Trujillo since 2014.One hundred and twenty volunteers from various organisations participated on the 8th, 9th, 15th and 16th of July in sessions that were facilitated by UNLIREC and UNV. In addition, it involved the participation of young volunteers who were part of the alliance with the Cultural Association D1 which promotes thee culture of peace through art, dance and human development. The four workshops addressed the different dimensions of the concepts of violence, peace, human security and disarmament. Likewise, practical tools were shared to convert their perceptions of these phenomena into valid indicators for their measurement.
The workshops are part of a series of activities that will take place over 6 months in all four countries. During this time, participatory indicators for SDG 16 will not only be generated but will also be validated by young people in their communities and presented to local and regional government authorities. In this way, young people will be trained and empowered, making visible their role as promoters of the creation of a just, peaceful and inclusive society.
Jul 6, 2017 | Uncategorized
The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) conducted a training workshop in Lima, Peru, from June 7-8, 2017 as part of a joint project with the United Nations Volunteers Program (UNV). Colombia, Honduras, Peru and Trinidad and Tobago will be the four countries from the region to benefit from this initiative.
The purpose of this project is to contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and to improve the skills of young volunteer leaders with regards to SDG 16, peace, security and disarmament so that they may be able to propose indicators (developed through participatory methodology) to measure these phenomena. SDG 16 is dedicated to the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies, access to justice for all, and the creation of effective and accountable institutions at all levels. It includes targets for reducing illicit arms flows, all forms of violence and related deaths, and ensuring participatory decision-making. Specifically, goal 16.4 establishes the intrinsic relationship between development and flows of illicit arms.
Participating in the workshop were young volunteers who will serve as focal points in three of the four beneficiary countries, namely, Colombia, Honduras and Peru. The sessions were facilitated by UNLIREC and the UNV Regional Office, along with the invaluable contribution of two young specialists in the creation of volunteer infrastructures and the management of training programs.
The workshop marks the official launch of the project whose activities will continue until December 2017 in the four countries. During this time, not only will participatory indicators for SDG 16 be developed, but these will be validated by the youth in their communities and presented to the main local and regional government authorities with the aim of giving greater visibility and recognition to the role the youth can play in the promotion of more peaceful, just and inclusive societies.
Jul 3, 2017 | Uncategorized
On 7 March, UNLIREC held consultations with the Government of Peru to elaborate its Draft National Action Plan on implementation of UNSCR 1540 (2004). This meeting brought together 19 representatives from nine institutions and agencies, including Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Production, National Police, Customs & Excise National Agency and Fire Department, among others.
During the one-day workshop, the group discussed the content of a Voluntary National Action Plan that is to be submitted to the 1540 Committee in the near future. UNLIREC seized the opportunity to provide support in the process of identifying needs, priorities and next steps to articulate national efforts towards UNSCR 1540 implementation. In particular, issues relating to the modernization of non-proliferation legislation, including in the biological ambit, and institutional strengthening and training needs were pointed out by authorities as essential areas to be addressed.
Prior to this workshop, in November 2016, UNLIREC presented its national legal study and its main recommendations to Peruvian authorities for better aligning 1540 obligations with national provisions.
This meeting forms part of the Canadian funded portion of UNLIREC’s 1540 Assistance Package.
Jun 22, 2017 | Uncategorized
On the 22nd and the 23rd June, national authorities from the different sectors involved in the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction attended a planning mission held in Santo Domingo.
The objective of this meeting was to pool the strategic trade mapping of elements that could be controlled by the Dominican Republic in compliance with Resolution 1540 of the United Nations Security Council and to receive feedback from the authorities on risk analysis and profiling processes from the perspective of the customs sector in that State.
On the 21st and the 22nd June, UNLIREC experts and the heads of the customs sector convened preliminary meetings and visits to familiarize themselves with the national risk management procedures, as well as the profiling process, if any, with the purpose of having an overview of these very processes that will help to provide better assistance in the preparation of the Focus List.
A second meeting was held on the 23rd June with the “Multisectoral Coordination Committee for the Implementation of Resolution 1540,” comprising representatives of various sectors that had jurisdiction in the matter. This meeting introduced the specific objectives of the workshop which will be held in September and which is designed to serve as a practical support tool for officers working at the entry and exit points of the country as it will enhance controls on dual-use items.
Source: UNLIREC
Jun 19, 2017 | Uncategorized
From 19-23 June, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), together with ARQUEBUS Solutions Ltd, delivered its third Double Cast training and consequent donation of equipment in Belize.
Four participants, among them firearms examiners, assistant firearms examiners, and IBIS Technicians of the National Forensic Science Service (NFSS), participated in the training. Participants were trained on INTERPOL’s Double Casting methodology.
Double Casting is a two step-process that requires a silicone mould to be made of the fired bullet or cartridge case and then making a resin cast using the mould created. Ballistic projectiles are mounted in a secured cup or mould box before pouring the silicone to make the mould. The moulds are then placed in a vacuum degassing chamber to remove air bubbles, taken out of the chamber, and cured for 15 hours. The cured mould is then removed from the cup or box and the specimen extracted. Next, the silicone mould is filled with casting resin, pressurized in a pressure pot, removed and the cured resin cast demoulded. The resin bullet and cartridge castings are then ready for ballistics imaging or microscope examination and comparison.
Equipment used in the training, as well as consumables to conduct further double casting of cartridge cases or projectiles, were handed over to the Government Belize.
Double Cast Training is part of UNLIREC’s Caribbean Operational Forensic Ballistics Assistance Package, which is made possible thanks to the support of the US Department of State and the Government of Canada.
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.
