In a context where school safety is threatened by the presence of firearms and other forms of violence, Honduras is taking decisive steps to protect its educational spaces.
On 18 February 2025, in Tegucigalpa, authorities and technical experts from the Ministry of Education and the Honduran School Police met to begin drafting the country´s first Protocol to Prevent and Respond to the Presence of Firearms in Schools. This initiative is supported by the United Nations Regional Center for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC).
The participants in the meeting form part of the Technical Working Team responsible for developing the protocol, which is expected to be finalized in 2025. During the meeting, the team reviewed the Terms of Reference that will guide its operation, responsibilities and functions. They also discussed the first activities to be included in the Work Plan, including:
- Designing consultation and data collection tools to support a situational diagnosis;
- Mapping existing protocols in the region;
- Identifying and involving other institutions undertaking relevant work on the issue.
Dates were also agreed upon for upcoming meetings of the Technical Team, and key deadlines were set to ensure progress in the development of the protocol.
The meeting included a practical group exercise aimed at encouraging reflection and discussion on possible responses in cases involving the discovery or possession of firearms in schools. Based on the analysis of a real-life case, participants identified risk levels, characterized the situation, and proposed response routes. This exercise laid the groundwork for the protocol’s development, creating a valuable and constructive space for exchange.
The meeting is part of a series of activities promoted by UNLIREC and the Ministry of Education of Honduran under the SALIENT initiative (The Savings-Lives Entity), implemented by UNLIREC and UNDP Honduras. The initiative aims strengthen citizen security through effective arms control policies and frameworks for preventing armed violence in Honduras.
