Mar 26, 2021 | Uncategorized
On 26 March, UNLIREC and the Government of Haiti held an online workshop to provide the government with technical assistance on firearms classification. This workshop forms part of a broader support to the Haitian authorities’ ongoing commitment to modernize their national legal framework on firearms, parts, components, ammunitions and explosives, an issue considered a priority by the government of Haiti.
In the context of the current legal and technical drafting assistance provided by UNLIREC, a specific need was identified on firearms classification. The objective of this workshop was to establish a common language for the drafting process on firearms, parts, components and ammunitions. The 18 participants (which included government representatives and civil society organizations) were given information, recommendations and useful tools, mainly for them to be able to define and identify the different types and characteristics of firearms. As a result, those leading the drafting process can decide of firearms to which civilians should have access to, and the ones that should be prohibited or restricted.
This activity forms part of a project entitled “UNLIREC Technical Assistance Package for Weapons and Ammunition Management in Haiti” and funded by UNDP and the Peacebuilding Fund. The project has also previously run other similar initiatives including legal workshops on international instruments on firearms and ammunition control and recommendations for improving Haiti’s current legal framework.
This activity brought together the legal task force responsible for drafting the decree on this issue, civil society organizations, UNPOL, UNDP, BINUH and UNLIREC. The task force is made of the following Haitian government entities: Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defense, Armed Forces, National Police, National Disarmament and Dismantling and Reinsertion Commission and Customs Administration. UNLIREC has offered to coordinate a technical follow-up session on firearms classification to strengthen national capacity and enable the drafting of the decree’s relevant provisions.
Mar 23, 2021 | Uncategorized
On 23 March 2021, UNLIREC, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Panamanian National Women’s Institute, delivered a national virtual seminar on ‘measures to prevent armed violence against women’.
The virtual seminar’s central objectives were: to explain the problems with armed violence and violence against women (VAW), to present the links between the two and their impact on society, to highlight the importance of connecting regulation of arms control to the prevention of VAW, and to promote an interinstitutional approach towards tackling and preventing gender-based armed violence (GBV) against women.
Firstly, UNLIREC highlighted the disparity between firearms’ impact on men and women at a global level, as well as a regional and national one. It also emphasised the influence of firearms on different types of GBV in the region and in Panama, including femicide. The presentation identified a firearm as a risk factor – not only because of its lethal potential – but also due to its power to threaten or suppress victims, making them more vulnerable.
UNLIREC also shared the findings of the Regulatory study on the links between regulation of gender-based violence and regulation and control of small weapons: an analysis of Central America, Colombia, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. The study analyses different countries in the region’s approach, and it recognised good work across the region as much as it did in Panama in particular. Among other measures, Panamanian rules threaten to refuse, suspend or cancel the owner’s firearm licence if they commit acts of domestic violence or are reported to have incited them.
Finally, the Panamanian National Women’s Institute (INAMU) highlighted the work they do to coordinate and carry out national policy on equal opportunities for women. During the presentation, they discussed the state of violence against women across the nation, the institutional action directed from INAMU centres, and the national challenges of improving attention and prevention of this phenomenon.
The virtual event, open to the public, was attended by over 130 people, 116 of whom identified as women. The audience included representatives from administrative institutions and national security organisations, such as the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Women’s Institute, State Prosecution Service, the National Immigration Service, the National Aeronaval Service, among other institutions, as well as civil society and academy.
This initiative forms part of a series of activities that the UNLIREC is leading to empower nations to develop and take a sensitive approach to gender in the context of reducing armed violence. The initiative was made possible thanks to funding from the Canadian government.
Here are links to a recording of the virtual seminar and the presentations.
Mar 23, 2021 | Uncategorized
As part of UNLIREC’s efforts to provide support to States in the region, on 23 March 2021, it led a roundtable on the management of firearms and ammunition in judicial storage facilities highlighting the related challenges, experiences, and lessons learned.
It is globally recognised that state storage facilities for firearms and ammunition are vulnerable, because they can become a target for criminals who are looking to arm themselves illegally. In this vein, the storage facilities that safeguard weapons and ammunition that have been confiscated, found by authorities investigating different criminal acts, or seized because of administrative offence, are no exception.
UNLIREC gathered a group of experts and technical staff from States in the region with experience in arms control, criminal investigation, chain of custody, and management of evidence in judicial storage facilities. The aim was to promote discussion on the principal challenges arising with this type of facility, as well as to exchange ideas of best practice and lessons learned in evidence management.
During the event, UNLIREC delivered a presentation outlining some of the principal challenges and the typical impact of judicial arms storage facilities in the region. As well, it presented some best practices and international standards, such as the Modular Small Arms Control Implementation Compendium (MOSAIC) and the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG), which provide instructions for strengthening management of this type of facility.
Representatives from the arms department of the Costa Rican Ministry of Public Security and from the National Agency of Controlled Materials (ANMaC) in Argentina shared background information, challenges, and detailed rules being implemented in their countries to improve the storage, registration, and control of the evidence.
Throughout the event, it was agreed that one of the most pressing requirements for effective management of the evidence is having in place specific regulatory frameworks, standardised processes, and better coordination between the institutions involved in the chain of custody. It is also important to have tools and ways of registering information that allow better control and monitoring of evidence, the right infrastructure for the protection and preservation of evidence, and continuous training for staff, among other things.
This event forms part of a UNLIREC project aimed at preventing the diversion of arms in judicial storage facilities, which is funded by the UN Trust Facility Supporting Cooperation on Arms Regulation (UNSCAR).
Mar 22, 2021 | Uncategorized
Between 22 and 26 March 2021, UNLIREC virtually held the Interdicting Small Arms, Ammunition, Parts and Components Course (ISAAPCC). The course was directed at Police Officials from the Royal Bahamas Police Force, who perform control and inspection functions at entry, exit and transit points in the country.
The ISAAPCC is offered as part of the technical assistance provided by UNLIREC to Latin American and Caribbean States to contribute to strengthening their capacities to combat and prevent the illicit trafficking in small arms and ammunition. This specialized course trained 16 police officials and it was delivered for the first time in Bahamas.
Based on a theoretical-practical methodology, this group of operators received training on the fundamental aspects of X-ray technology, technical specifications on small arms, their parts and components, ammunition, as well as explosives and concealment methods. Participants also received practical training via an online platform developed by the Centre for Adaptive Security Research and Applications (CASRA), whereby they developed their skills to effectively recognize these types of threats.
It should be noted that this specialized course has been designed considering international standards and good practices on the importance of continuous training for X-ray scanner operators, to achieve optimal levels of security at strategic points, thereby helping to reduce levels of firearm-related crime and violence.
This virtual edition of the ISAAPCC was made possible thanks to the financial support from the United States of America.
Mar 18, 2021 | Uncategorized
On 18 March 2021, UNLIREC, in collaboration with the Colombian government’s Ministry of the Interior, delivered a national virtual seminar on ‘measures to prevent armed violence against women’.
The virtual seminar’s central objectives were to explain the problems with armed violence and violence against women (VAW), to present the links between the two and their impact on society, to highlight the importance of connecting regulation of arms control to the prevention of VAW, and to promote an interinstitutional approach towards tackling and preventing gender-based armed violence (GBV) against women.
Firstly, the Colombian government’s Ministry of the Interior presented the state of gender-based violence across the nation, including statistics and the regulatory framework of policy, programmes and national initiatives in place to prevent and tackle this phenomenon. During the presentation, the Ministry made special reference to its protective measures related to arms control that have been established to protect women in cases of GBV.
UNLIREC also highlighted the disparity between firearms’ impact on men and women at a global level, as well as a regional and national one. It also emphasised the influence of firearms on different types of GBV in the region and in Colombia, including femicide. The presentation identified a firearm as a risk factor – not only because of its lethal potential – but also due to its power to threaten or suppress victims, making them more vulnerable.
Finally, UNLIREC presented the findings of the Regulatory study on the links between regulation of gender-based violence and regulation and control of small weapons: an analysis of Central America, Colombia, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. The study analyses different countries in the region’s approach, and special mention was given to the region’s good work on the subject.
The virtual event, open to the general public, was attended by over 330 people, including a strong majority of women (263). The audience included representatives from administrative institutions and national security organisations, such as the Ministry of the Interior, State Prosecution Service, the Health Secretary, the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace, Office of the Attorney General, and departmental and local authorities, civil society, academy, and the United Nations System in Colombia.
This initiative forms part of a series of activities that the UNLIREC is leading to empower nations to develop and take a sensitive approach to gender in the context of reducing armed violence. The initiative was made possible thanks to funding from the Canadian government.
Here are links to a recording of the virtual seminar and the presentations.
Mar 18, 2021 | Uncategorized
Canada’s Global Affairs’ Anti-Crime Capacity Building Program (ACCBP) provided a 2-million-dollar grant at the beginning of 2021 to the UN Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) to support Caribbean States in their implementation of the ‘Roadmap for Implementing the Caribbean Priority Actions on the Illicit Proliferation of Firearms and Ammunition across the Caribbean in a Sustainable Manner by 2030’. Through this initiative, Canada is strengthening regional cooperation to build a stronger more resilient region, as well as safeguarding the security of Canadians and Canadian interests at risk, both at home and abroad.
The Roadmap – under which the Canadian-funded project will be carried out – is made up of four Goals: (1) reinforcing regulatory frameworks; (2) reducing the illicit flow of firearms and ammunition; (3) bolstering law enforcement capacity; and (4) decreasing the risk of diversion of firearms and ammunition. The main technical implementing partners are UNLIREC and CARICOM IMPACS.
The over 30 Canadian-funded project activities range from specialized courses for law enforcement officials on detecting arms and ammunition illegally entering or exiting their countries to how to conduct the ‘gendered’ investigation of crimes against women. To complement these capacity-building initiatives, UNLIREC will also deliver operational tracing courses; trainings on how best to manage firearms and ammunition being stored as evidence at ballistic laboratory depots; and a region-wide technical armoury management workshop at project end.
Efforts to make the Caribbean region a safer one – through implementation of the Roadmap – is being supported by other members of the international donor community, in addition to Canada,
including the Federal Republic of Germany, The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America. This multiple-donor funding to UNLIREC will allow for a strategic division of labour on the ground and avoid any duplication of funding.
Since 2010, Canada has contributed more than 10 million Canadian dollars to UNLIREC in addressing the scourge of illicit arms and ammunition trafficking in a sub-region that suffers inordinately from the catastrophic impact of armed violence.
UNLIREC forms part of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) in NY, USA, and is mandated to support 33 States in Latin America and the Caribbean in achieving and maintaining peace and security through disarmament. For more information on the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap, please contact, Ms Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer, at [cowl@unlirec.org].
