Mar 9, 2012 | Uncategorized
Legal practitioners in Guatemala received focused training on combating illicit firearms trafficking through UNLIREC’s Specialized Training Course celebrated in the country’s capital. In parallel, UNLIREC held a regional best practice seminar on policy development in firearms control and armed violence prevention with policy-makers on 5 September. Both activities were carried out in collaboration with the Technical Secretariat of the National Security Council.
During the four-day specialized course, 28 legal practitioners and judicial officials were exposed to relevant national and international legal frameworks, inter-institutional and international cooperation mechanisms; and technical aspects of firearms and ammunition, including ballistic information. All participants are now better equipped with the necessary technical and practical knowledge and legal tools to assist them in their efforts to more effectively combat the scourge caused by illicit trafficking in firearms. Participants came from a variety of governmental institution, including the Office of the Public Prosecutor, National Civilian Police, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the National Firearms Control Directorate.
The high-level policy seminar, on the other hand, brought together 26 high level representatives to contextualize the phenomenon of armed violence in Latin America and expose decision-makers to a wide range of policies related to firearms control measures and armed violence prevention and reduction initiatives. Two emblematic regional “best practices” were presented during the one-day seminar, namely, the Weapons Free Zone (WFZ) Programme from El Salvador, implemented in more than 30 municipalities across the country, and Brazil´s well-known Disarmament Campaign and Statute, which – to date – represents the most important disarmament campaign undertaken in the continent. Participants from the Technical Secretariat of the National Security Council, Ministry of Government, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Parliamentarians, CSOs, and advisor in the public security sector used the information acquired to contribute to their resolve in combating illicit firearms trafficking in their country and the region.
These activities form part of the technical assistance provided by UNLIREC to the Latin American region in support of these countries’ efforts to enhance public security and aid in State 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 visit [www.unlirec.org]. Please direct all questions or inquiries to Ms Amanda Cowl,
Political Affairs Officer, at [cowl@unlirec.org].
Feb 7, 2012 | Uncategorized
(Kingston) – As part of the project currently being implemented in the Caribbean, UNLIREC and the Government of Jamaica carried out the destruction of approximately 2,000 firearms. The event, which took place on 7 February at a cement factory in Kingston, was coordinated and executed in conjunction with the Jamaican authorities. As is the case with all weapons destruction events in which UNLIREC is involved, the process complied with all international requirements for safety and verification. Part of the weapons destroyed were seized during lawenforcement operations. The remainder included obsolete weapons, which belonged to the police and armed forces. Within the coming weeks, UNLIREC will provide the Government of Jamaica with hydraulic shears especially adapted to disable the seized and obsolete firearms until such time as they are destroyed, thus avoiding their possible re-entry into illicit trafficking rings.
Additionally, 12,000 rounds of ammunition were destroyed on 10 February at the Jamaica Police Academy using a tank specifically-designed for the safe destruction of ammunition while ensuring minimal environmental impact. Jamaica is the third such country to use this tank, which has already been implemented by UNLIREC in Ecuador and Trinidad and Tobago.
During the weapons-destruction ceremony, Jamaica’s Minister of National Security, Peter Bunting, stated that “the destruction of these weapons will help reduce the risk of diversion to illicit trafficking.” The Minister, in thanking UNLIREC for the assistance being offered to Jamaica, noted that “The Ministry of National Security considers these actions important first steps towards effectively monitoring and regulating the number of
firearms available for illicit use. Gun crimes represent a major threat to the safety and security of our society, so we’re therefore grateful for the meaningful support to help reduce the availability of firearms and thus help to protect our democracy.”
Additionally, as part of this project, UNLIREC conducted an Inter-Institutional Training Course on Combating Illicit Firearms Trafficking (IITC) which resulted in the training of 60 officers with direct responsibility in the fight against illicit firearms trafficking. As a direct impact, these agents will be better equipped to combat the illicit trafficking of firearms, ammunition and explosives, prevent legal weapons from entering illicit trafficking rings and reduce the levels of impunity among arms dealers.
Jamaica has one of the highest firearmrelated homicide rates in the region. The initiatives undertaken by this island State demonstrate their commitment to the fight against illicit trafficking and reducing armed violence on the Caribbean island. In recent years, the quality of weapons used by criminal groups in Jamaica has been equal to or has surpassed what the law enforcement authorities possess. This has resulted in an increase in fatal crimes.
Over the past year, UNLIREC has been working with the Government of Jamaica to develop a national action plan on stockpile management and firearms destruction. The project activities outlined in this plan will be carried out throughout the year. The implementation of this action plan, funded by the Governments of Canada and the United States, includes the delivery of tools to improve the security of national stockpiles, develop training courses for combating illicit firearms trafficking and improving stockpile management and firearms destruction. Legal assistance will also be improved so that legislation may be harmonized with the related provisions found in the various international disarmament-related instruments.
Feb 7, 2012 | Uncategorized
On 7 July 2012, in the city of Tulcan, the bi-national training course on combating the illicit trafficking in firearms, ammunition and explosives on the border between Colombia and Ecuador concluded with the training of 40 law enforcement officers. The majority of those trained operate in border zones, thus guaranteeing that the knowledge gained will be applied to their daily work in the field. Ecuador’s Ministry of National Defence, Ministry of Interior, Coordinating Ministry of Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Attorney General´s Office, Ecuadorian Armed Forces, Armed Forces of Colombia, Ecuadorian National Police and Customs were all represented during the six day course.
The course was carried out in accordance with the bi-national agreements on strengthening border control between the Governments of Ecuador and Colombia, which aim to promote prosperity and positive living along the shared border.
The participants received specific training from international and regional experts on the circulation of firearms, ammunition and explosives and their impact on the common border zone. During the course, numerous topics were covered, including techniques for the investigation and tracing of illegal small arms and light weapons, technical aspects related to the identification of firearms and ammunition, related national and international legal frameworks, intelligence gathering and judicial evidence management. The organizing institutions (Government of Ecuador, UNDP’s Peace and Development Programme for the Northern Border and UNLIREC) addressed a number of cross-cutting issues related to the use of force, the impact of armed violence on children and women, and the protection of women and children.
The bi-national course has been adapted from UNLIREC’s “Inter-Institutional Training Course on Combating the Illicit Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition and Explosives” aimed at strengthening the capacity of the Ecuadorian and Colombian border officers on specific aspects of preventing illicit arms trafficking in border zones, including techniques for examining vehicles and cross-border information exchange. Additionally, new practical exercises designed for this purpose were introduced.
This course forms part of the technical assistance that UNDP and UNLIREC provide to the Latin American Region in support of these countries’ efforts to ensure citizen 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) and Decision 552 of the Andean Community of Nations (CAN).
For more information on UNLIREC visit [www.unlirec.org]. Please direct all questions or inquiries to: Ms Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer [cowl@unlirec.org].
Jan 3, 2012 | Uncategorized
(El Salvador and Guatemala) – UNLIREC’s Director, Ms Mélanie Régimbal, met with national authorities in El Salvador and Guatemala to launch UNLIREC’s 2012 small arms control activities. All UNLIREC activities forming part of its “Preventing Armed Violence in Central America through the Combat of Illicit Trafficking in Firearms” are aligned with SICA’s Central American Security Strategy. In particular with three of the four security pillars: crime reduction, violence prevention, and institutional strengthening.
States to ensure the rapid and effective implementation of the Strategy. In this regard, UNLIREC is implementing a regional project focused on firearms control and prevention of illicit firearms trafficking. These initiatives, which include capacity-building for law enforcement and judicial operators, stockpile management, and firearms policy support, are made possible thanks to the financial contributions of Finland, Germany and Spain.
May 12, 2011 | Uncategorized
El Salvador – On 16 December, Central American Heads of State and Government held the XXXVIII Regular Meeting in San Salvador, El Salvador, where they reaffirmed their commitment to advance regional integration and jointly seek to address the serious problems affecting the region. In this sense, participants expressed their determination to continue working together to implement the Security Strategy.
In the Declaration and Work Plan signed in San Salvador, the Heads of State and Government urged the General Secretariat of SICA to continue negotiations with the “Group of Friends” and international organizations to begin implementing the projects identified as priority, including, inter alia, gun control and armed violence prevention. In this sense, the Work Plan proposes the development of a roadmap that clearly and precisely identifies the steps to follow to achieve full implementation of the Strategy.
The 2012 Work Plan also establishes the creation of a Financial Management Mechanism that guarantees the identification of funds and their proper distribution. The Coordinating Evaluation and Monitoring Mechanism of the Security Strategy will remain in charge of general coordination.
UNLIREC, one of the international organizations present at the International Conference, expressed its support to SICA’s the General Secretariat in achieving prompt and effective implementation of the Strategy. In this context, and in response to requests received from Central American States, UNLIREC has developed a sub-regional assistance package focusing on arms control and the prevention of illicit trafficking. Some countries, such as Germany and Australia, have already expressed their interest in the proposal. The implementation of which would be coordinated by the Central American authorities.
The Central American Security Strategy has four main themes: combating crime; violence prevention; prison rehabilitation, reintegration and security; and institutional strengthening, all coordinated in a comprehensive manner to better address the problem of armed violence facing the sub-region. The Security Strategy was adopted by the Heads of State and Government of SICA in 2007, which was re-vitalized following the International Conference in Support of the Strategy held in Guatemala in June, which included a large representation of states and international organizations.
Feb 12, 2011 | Uncategorized
Lima- As part of UNLIREC’s strategy to support countries in the region, the first Specialized Training Course for Legal Practitioners and Judicial Officials on Combating Impunity in the Illicit Trafficking of Firearms, Ammunition and Explosives, developed by UNLIREC’s in-house legal team, was carried out between 5 and 7 December. This course was supported by the Government of Peru, through the National Commission against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and Other Related Materials (CONATIAF) and the School of the Public Prosecution Office.
The main purpose of the course is to provide knowledge, tools and technical and practical instruments to legal operators in their daily fight against illicit trafficking in firearms and ammunition and explosives. The course also seeks to support the fight against the impunity in these types of cases and to strengthen the coordination and cooperation of legal practitioners working in the field of arms control. One of its strategic objectives is to ensure that public academies incorporate the course content into their curricula with a view to promoting institutionalization and sustainability over time; this has been successfully achieved in Peru, since the School of the Public Prosecution Office announced that the modules of the course will now form part of its academic training programme.
The course brought together 28 members of the Public Prosecution Office, the judiciary, the Peruvian National Police, the General Directorate of Security Services Control, Arms Control, Ammunition and Explosives for Civil Use (DICSCAMEC), the CONATIAF as well as members of Military Court. It should be noted that over 20% of participants were women, showing the increasing role of women in the fight against illicit firearms trafficking. The course culminated in a practical exercise, which simulated a real-life scenario in which the participants had the opportunity to put into practice everything they had learned during the theoretical part of the course.
National and international instructors and representatives from the School of the Public Prosecution office, the DICSCAMEC and the National Institute of Legal Medicine of Colombia, as well as UNLIREC’s team of experts participated in this activity, which was made possible thanks to the support from the Government of Canada.
