Feb 17, 2021 | Uncategorized
On Wednesday 17 February 2021, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in coordination with the Guatemalan Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Presidential Secretariat for Women, held a webinar on “Measures preventing armed violence against women”.
49 representatives from different public bodies and civil society organizations dealing with the issue of armed violence and preventing violence against women participated in the webinar. Given that one of the purposes of UNLIREC’s Women, Disarmament, Non-proliferation and Arms Control Programme, supported by the European Union, is to promote the participation and training of women in the aforementioned areas, it is important to highlight that 70% of the participants were women.
The webinar began with an overview and analysis of statistics on armed violence and violence against women at national, regional and global levels, emphasizing how firearms-related incidents are not only confined to feminicides, but also different types of violence against women, whether physical, sexual and psychological. The presence of a firearm in a context of gender-based violence should be considered a risk factor not only because of its lethality, but also because it is used to threaten and intimidate victims, increasing their vulnerability.
Furthermore, UNLIREC presented the main findings from its Normative Study on the necessary link between rules on gender-based violence and small arms control and regulatory standards. The study analyzed the national regulations of different countries in the region. During the webinar, special reference was made to the case of Guatemala.
In order to promote a comprehensive and inter-institutional approach to the problem, UNLIREC invited the Guatemalan Presidential Secretariat for Women (SEPREM) to present and discuss the different policies on the prevention of violence against women carried out at the national level. In this regard, it is important to highlight that Guatemala is one of the seven countries in the region to present a National Action Plan to implement Security Council Resolution 1325 on “Women, Peace and Security”. The SEPREM panelist mentioned the main guidelines of the NAP launched in 2017.
Finally, it should be noted that this activity took place in the framework of the campaign launched by IANSA and supported by UNODA: “Gun free Valentine”. The campaign is running from 14 February to 8 March. Under the slogans Disarm domestic violence and Love does not include guns, the main purpose is to raise awareness about the risks of having a gun in the home, intimate partner violence and how, with more effective laws, lives can be saved.
The webinar forms part of the project Supporting gender mainstreamed policies, programmes and actions in the fight against trafficking and misuse of small arms, in line with the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, supported by the European Union.
Feb 12, 2021 | Uncategorized
On 12 February 2021, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) and the Caribbean Community’s Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS), in collaboration with the Government of Barbados, and the Government of Germany, hosted a virtual Executive Seminar for the Advancement of National Action Plan of Barbados for the implementation of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap.
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’ (Caribbean Firearms Roadmap) was officially adopted by CARICOM on January 22, 2021. The Roadmap consolidates and builds upon the 2019 actions adopted by Caribbean Heads of Governments on addressing the illicit trafficking of firearms in the region.
Barbados became the seventh CARICOM State to have initiated concrete actions contemplated in the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap by taking steps to create its National Action Plan (NAP). A total of twenty-four (24) representatives of the Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Office of the Attorney General, Royal Barbados Police Force, Barbados Defence Force, along with members of the German Embassy, UNLIREC and CARICOM IMPACS participated in the NAP Executive Seminar. Participants discussed the Roadmap and steps needed to map out priorities, plans and timelines for implementing the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap. The successful implementation of the Roadmap will require both the concerted efforts of national authorities, as well as the timely, targeted and coordinated support of regional and international partners and donors.
The Roadmap serves as a base document for Barbados in the elaboration of its National Action Plan (NAP). It categorizes the abovementioned priority actions under four overall goals: (1) reinforce regulatory frameworks governing firearms and ammunition; (2) reduce the illicit flow of firearms and ammunition into, within and beyond the region; (3) bolster law enforcement capacity to combat illicit firearms and ammunition trafficking and their illicit possession and misuse; and (4) systematically decrease the risk of diversion of firearms and ammunition from government and non-government owned arsenals. Each goal in turn includes targets and actions, key performance indicators, all in an alignment with a 10-year timeline coinciding with the culmination of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
UNLIREC and CARICOM IMPACS, as the main implementing partners, will lend technical assistance in the elaboration of the NAPs and in their successive implementation. The governments of Canada, Germany, United States of America and the United Kingdom have pledged support to the implementation of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap.
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.
Feb 12, 2021 | Uncategorized
12 February: UNLIREC and the Government of Haiti held an online legal workshop to modernize Haiti’s national legal framework on firearms, parts, components, ammunitions and explosives, an issue considered a priority by the current government.
This activity brought together the legal task force responsible for drafting a decree on the issue, UNDP in Haiti, BINUH and UNLIREC’s legal team. The task force is made of the following Haitian government entities: Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defense, Armed Forces, National Police and National Disarmament and Dismantling and Reinsertion Commission.
Following UNLIREC’s previous online legal workshop, held in September 2020, national authorities requested legal and technical drafting assistance. Consequently, the objective of this additional session was to present the task force with recommendations on how to align the national legal framework with the provisions found in relevant international instruments on firearms and ammunition control. UNLIREC also shared the findings of the legal dictum and recommendations for improving the Haitian legal framework.
This activity forms part of UNLIREC’s project entitled “UNLIREC Technical Assistance Package for Weapons and Ammunition Management in Haiti” funded by UNDP and the Peacebuilding Fund.
Feb 2, 2021 | Uncategorized
On 2 February 2021, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) and the Caribbean Community’s Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS), in collaboration with the Government of Guyana, and the Government of Germany, hosted a virtual Executive Seminar for the Advancement of Guyana’s National Action Plan for the implementation of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap.
On January 22, 2021 CARICOM officially adopted 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’ (Caribbean Firearms Roadmap), which consolidates and builds upon the 2019 actions adopted by Caribbean Heads of Governments on addressing the illicit trafficking of firearms in the region.
Guyana, has initiated concrete actions contemplated in the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap by taking steps to create its National Action Plan (NAP). A total of 39 representatives of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Guyana Police Force, Guyana Defence Force, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Customs Department along with members of the German Embassy, UNLIREC and CARICOM IMPACS participated in the NAP Executive Seminar. Participants discussed the Roadmap and steps needed to map out Guyana’s priorities, plans and timelines for implementing the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap. The successful implementation of the Roadmap will require both the concerted efforts of national authorities, as well as the timely, targeted and coordinated support of regional and international partners and donors. The Roadmap serves as a base document for Guyana in the elaboration of its National Action Plan (NAP).
UNLIREC and CARICOM IMPACS, as the main implementing partners, will lend technical assistance in the elaboration of the NAPs and in their successive implementation. The governments of Canada, Germany, United States of America and the United Kingdom have pledged support to the implementation of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap.
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.
Feb 1, 2021 | Uncategorized
Between 1 and 5 February 2021, UNLIREC, in coordination with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), virtually held the Interdicting Small Arms, Ammunition, Parts and Components Course (ISAAPCC). The course was directed at X-ray operators and border control officials from Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Peru and the Dominican Republic, who perform control and inspection functions at entry, exit and transit points in those countries.
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 30 national agents from the aforementioned countries, who also belong to the network of delegates of the UNODC AIRCOP and Container Control Programmes.
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 Kingdom Border Force Agency.
Dec 11, 2020 | Uncategorized
On 11 December 2020, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) held a Virtual Conference with young people and students, entitled “Inspiring a new generation of youth: women leaders in disarmament share their experiences, challenges and recommendations with future generations”.
The virtual conference was held as part of the celebrations organized by UNLIREC for the tenth anniversary of Resolution 65/69 on Women, Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Arms Control, passed by the United Nations General Assembly on 8 December 2010, as well as for the first anniversary of Resolution 74/64 on Youth, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, passed on 11 December 2019. These resolutions recognize the valuable contributions that both women and young people can make to advance the international disarmament agenda.
The event served as a virtual platform to introduce young people in the region to the stories and reflections of women in the region contributing to disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control, as reflected in the Forces of Change IV publication, launched on December 8, 2020.
The virtual conference also brought the youth of the region closer to the Youth4Disarmament initiative, launched in 2019 by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, whose main objective is to connect young people with professional experts to learn about the challenges in international security, the work of the United Nations and how to actively participate in these issues.
Through pre-recorded questions from young people who participated in the session, women leaders from the region in these areas discussed their experiences and reflections in facilitating Resolution 65/69 in 2010, the role of the scientific community in the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the role of the region – Latin America and the Caribbean – in international disarmament efforts, the specific contributions of women in these areas, and recommendations for promoting these issues through education. Other questions from young people, mostly women, also explored the link between arms control and gender-based violence, public policies to reduce the use of conventional arms in contexts of youth violence, and control of new technologies for military purposes.
The Virtual Conference was open to the public and was attended by more than 60 young people from the region, as well as members of the public interested in this topic.
This activity forms part of a series of activities that UNLIREC carries out to promote the regional implementation of Resolution 65/69 on Women, Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Arms Control. This initiative was made possible thanks to the funding from the Government of Canada and the Government of Sweden.
Watch the Virtual Conference here.
