Dec 1, 2020 | Uncategorized
On 1 December 2020, with the financial support of the Government of Germany, UNLIREC carried out an online seminar with Argentina focusing on the fundamental concepts and international technical guidelines regarding stockpile management of ammunition. The relevance of conventional arms and ammunition control measures for national security was highlighted while UNLIREC also presented internationally-recognized technical guidelines on ammunition stockpile management with a view to strengthening Argentinian efforts against illicit arms and ammunition trafficking.
Over 30 participants (7 women) from national institutions with responsibility for the implementation of arms and ammunition controls participated in the seminar, including the Ministry of Defense, Argentinian Army, Navy and Air Force, Argentinian Military Industry (Fabricaciones Militares SE) and the Institute of Scientific and Technical Research for Defense (CITEDEF).
Given the impact of the proliferation and diversion of arms and ammunition on armed violence and illicit trafficking in the region, UNLIREC sensitized stakeholders about the importance of implementing effective ammunition stockpile management practices to reduce the risk of illegal proliferation and diversion.
UNLIREC delivered a presentation on classification and division of hazards Class 1 of dangerous goods and quantity (NEQ) – distances. Panellists from the Argentinian Air Force, Ministry of Defense and the Institute of Scientific and the Technical Research for Defense – CITEDEF presented practical measures that Argentina implements regarding stockpile management of ammunition, as well as, its useful life, demilitarization and arms inventory management. 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.
Nov 30, 2020 | Uncategorized
From 30 November 2020 to 11 December 2020, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in collaboration with the Governments of Barbados, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, hosted an online Examination of Fired Ammunition Components and Comparative Pattern Analysis Theory (Virtual) Course.
Since 2015, UNLIREC’s Technical Assessment of Forensic Firearms Laboratories in the Caribbean identified a need to increase the human resource capacity in ballistics laboratories to effectively combat all cases of armed violence. Several States have embarked on various initiatives to increase their human capacity, with the support of UNLIREC. In an effort to boost the capacity of firearm examiner trainees, UNLIREC hosted a two week online course on the Examination of Fired Ammunition Components and Comparative Pattern Analysis Theory.
Twenty-nine firearm examiner trainees, firearm technicians, police officers and scientific officers including (11) females from the Royal Barbados Police Force, the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and Trinidad and Tobago Forensic Science Laboratory took part in the training. The course included a review of basic laboratory examinations involving fired ammunition components from handgun, rifle, and shotgun ammunition to allow participants to correctly classify ammunition components and correctly identify class characteristics on spent ammunition. The course also reviewed the basic premises of firearm and toolmark identification, exposed participants to the differentiating toolmarks made by multiple tools and introduced the concept of contextual bias in firearm and toolmark identification.
The “Examination of Fired Ammunition Components and Comparative Pattern Analysis Theory” course has contributed to the scientific and judicial development of trainee firearms examiners, making them more knowledgeable on the examination of minute details reproduced on spent ammunition parts as well as their unbiased, scientific role in the judicial process. The course built capacity among the participants to combat all instances of firearms criminality, including cases of illicit firearms trafficking, by improving their ability to examine illicit firearms and ammunition used in cases of armed violence.
The course forms part of Phase 3 of the Operational Forensic Ballistics technical assistance provided to the Caribbean States, with the financial support of the Government of the United States.
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.
Nov 26, 2020 | Uncategorized
On November 26, as part of the dissemination process of the recent regional study conducted by UNLIREC entitled “Firearms in Latin American and Caribbean Schools: approximations, challenges and responses”, a webinar was held to publicize the main findings of this study and create a space for dialogue with representatives of different sectors in Guatemala, to analyze the presence and use of firearms in schools, their impacts and challenges.
Approximately 90 people attended this webinar, including public sector representatives in the areas of education, social development, arms control, external relations, childhood and adolescence, among others, as well as civil society organizations and specialists.
As part of the agenda developed in this webinar, UNLIREC shared the most relevant findings from their regional study highlighting the main manifestations, expressions and causes of this phenomenon in the region. UNLIREC also shared different responses and initiatives that were compiled in the study to address and prevent the presence of firearms in schools, which have been implemented in some countries in the region.
To complement this regional perspective, representatives from the Ministry of Education and the Teaching Institute for Sustainable Development (IEPADES) also attended the event, who shared the national perspective on the problem in question, analyzing the different factors that influence children, adolescents and school-aged young people to be exposed to firearms. Reference was also made to the policies and programs promoted by the education sector to address the different expressions of school violence, as well as some initiatives that have been promoted from civil society coordination with public institutions in areas of diagnostics, collecting information, management and raising awareness.
Throughout the webinar and when asked which would be the most pressing measures to address this phenomenon, participants highlighted the importance of having orientation guides and protocols to address possible incidents involving the presence and use of firearms in educational centers, as well as to strengthen efforts of raising awareness among and educating the student population regarding the negative impact of firearms and armed violence in general.
Furthermore, they highlighted that it is fundamental to strengthen the coordinated and sectoral work between different institutions (education, security, childhood, arms control, among others) to prevent the presence and use of firearms in Guatemalan schools, as these spaces are key to exchanging points of view and identifying possible action routes to develop integrated work among different institutions and actors.
This virtual seminar was made possible thanks to the Government of Sweden’s valuable financial contribution.
Nov 25, 2020 | Uncategorized
On 25 November 2020, 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 Jamaica, and the Government of Germany, hosted a virtual Executive Seminar for the Advancement of Jamaica’s National Action Plan for the implementation of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap.
Jamaica has 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.
Jamaica, along with four other Caribbean States, initiated concrete actions contemplated in the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap by taking steps to create its National Action Plan (NAP). A total of 27 representatives of the Ministry of National Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Jamaica Constabulary Force, Jamaica Defence Force, Firearm Licensing Authority, Institute of Forensic Science and Legal Medicine, Attorney General’s Chambers, Ministry of Justice, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Major Organized Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency, Jamaica Customs Agency 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 Jamaica’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 Jamaica in the elaboration of its National Action Plan (NAP). It includes four main 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 incorporates pre-defined actions and targets, recommended performance indicators, all in alignment with a timeline, which runs from 2020 to 2030, to coincide with the culmination of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
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 instruments, in particular, the 2001 UN Programme of Action on Small Arms.
Nov 25, 2020 | Uncategorized
On Wednesday 25 November, on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and in the framework of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) and the Women’s Office of the Supreme Court of Justice in Argentina held a video conference on “Firearms and Gender-Based Violence: Bridging the Gap”.
The event was aimed at judges, prosecutors and officials of the Judicial Branch of the various jurisdictions in the country. More than 70% of the 280 participants were women. This is very encouraging given that promoting greater participation, representation and training of women in firearms control is one of the purposes of UNLIREC’s Program on Women, Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Arms Control.
In this regard, the following international guidelines were mentioned: 2030 Agenda: SDG 5 and SDG 16; Res. AG 65/69; Res. CS 1325; CEDAW; UNPoA; among others. These not only underpin UNLIREC’s promotion of the greater participation of women in the sector, but also warn about the influence of firearms on gender-based violence against women and promote regulatory and policy changes that will account for and address this scourge.
In recent years, UNLIREC has conducted various Legal Studies that analyze and compare the national regulations of different countries in the region, on control and regulation of firearms and ammunition; regulations to prevent violence against women; and criminal and procedural codes. The purpose of the studies is to observe whether there is a regulatory crossover, for example, whether laws for the protection of women include specific measures for cases of firearms use, or whether arms control includes the variable of family and/or gender-based violence within its restrictions when issuing permits.
The conference highlighted the case of Argentina, its advances and regulatory crossovers, the policies implemented by the firearms control agency, the importance of producing disaggregated, statistical information on feminicides according to the commission mechanism and even according to the characteristics of the firearm.
Attendees were able to share concerns and interest in the subject matter addressed via the platform’s chat function. At all times, emphasis was placed on the importance of coordination and cooperation among the institutions with responsibilities in both areas: prevention of violence against women and care for victims, and control and regulation of firearms and ammunition.
This activity formed part of UNLIREC’s Program on Women, Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Arms Control, supported by the Government of Canada and the European Union.
Nov 24, 2020 | Uncategorized
On 24 November 2020, 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 Grenada and the Government of Germany, hosted a virtual Executive Seminar for the Advancement of Grenada’s National Action Plan 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), adopted by Grenada, consolidates and builds upon the 2019 actions adopted by Caribbean Heads of Governments on addressing the illicit trafficking of firearms in the region.
Grenada became the fourth Caribbean State to have initiated concrete actions contemplated in the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap to create its National Action Plan (NAP). Nine (9) representatives of the Ministry of National Security and Home Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Royal Grenada Police Force, Public Prosecution Department and Customs and Excise Division 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 Grenada’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 Grenada in the elaboration of its National Action Plan (NAP). It includes four main goals, each of which incorporates pre-defined actions and targets, recommended performance indicators, all in alignment with a timeline, which runs from 2020 to 2030, to coincide with the culmination of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
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 instruments, in particular, the 2001 UN Programme of Action on Small Arms.
