On 15 February 2022, Haiti became the 12th State to commence concrete actions under the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap and initiated the process to establish a National Action Plan (NAP) for its implementation. Haiti 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) in 2019.
From 11 to 17 May 2022, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) conducted a five-day in-country mission to Port-au-Prince to advance the elaboration of the NAP. UNLIREC joined the authorities in Haiti to facilitate discussions on the steps needed to map out Haiti’s priorities, plans, and timelines for the NAP during the first segment of the mission. The mission built on UNLIREC’s technical assistance and a series of virtual interinstitutional preliminary sessions.
During the mission, representatives of the Ministries of Justice, Interior, Foreign Affairs, Youth, Sports and Social action, the National Commission for Disarmament, Dismantlement and Reinsertion (also representing the Ministry of Defense), the Police, Customs, and the Port Authority began mapping out past and current arms control initiatives in the country as well as assistance needs to combat the illicit proliferation of firearms and ammunition. A second mission planned for July 2022, is expected to conclude the work on the Action Plan.
Additionally, UNLIREC provided legal assistance to Haitian authorities during the May visit, in continuity of updating Haiti´s firearms law which began in 2020. UNLIREC´s legal experts discussed specific findings and recommendations related to the draft decree which authorities are currently reviewing, as well as how to regulate weapons and ammunition in possession of private security companies in the Latin American and Caribbean region.
The mission was funded by the Government of Germany and carried out in collaboration with the Government of Haiti and the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), the UN Department of Peace Operations as well as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
UNLIREC, as the regional centre under the umbrella of the UN Office for Disarmament, seeks to advance the cause of practical disarmament in Latin America and the Caribbean and supports Member States in their implementation of international disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation instruments.
On 25-27 April 2022, 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 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, hosted an Executive Seminar and Inter-Institutional Roundtable meeting for the advancement of Saint Vincent & the Grenadines National Action Plan for the implementation of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap.
The Executive Seminar presented the opportunity to introduce the context and process for the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap initiative; provided sensitization on the monitoring and evaluation elements of the Roadmap; and discussed the national issues and challenges around firearms and firearms related crime. CARICOM IMPACS provided regional context, information on regional mechanisms and the role of IMPACS in relation to firearms. The Roundtable meetings covered the four goals of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap and included presentations on the legal aspects of the Roadmap, primarily related to Goal 1, and best practices as they relate to Goals 2, 3 and 4 respectively. The three days of inter-agency dialogue concluded with Saint Vincent and the Grenadines identifying its draft list of national priorities and a significant proportion of its baseline assessment.
A total of 27 national representatives, including 6 women took part in the 3-day event. Participants emanated from the Ministry of National Security, the Police Force, Forensic Laboratory, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Fire Department, Coast Guard, Customs and Immigration, Ministry of Attorney General and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Executive Seminar and Inter-Institutional Roundtables were carried out in line with the 2001 UN Programme of Action on Small Arms and Sustainable Development Goal 16 and target 16.4, and contribute towards the implementation of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap. The meetings were made possible thanks to support of the government of Canada.
UNLIREC, as the regional office 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.
On 21 March 2022, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), hosted two regional webinars on Evidentiary Hearings and the Discipline of Firearm and Tool Mark Examination with twelve CARICOM States. The purpose of the webinar was to discuss the scientific underpinnings and legal evidentiary standards that are key to admitting firearm and toolmark evidence in courts of law.
In developing a strategy for dealing with evidentiary hearings related to firearm and toolmark examination, two issues were discussed. Firstly, do different tools create different toolmarks and does the same tool create similar toolmarks? Secondly, can an examiner reliably discern the similarities and differences in order to render accurate common source determinations? In addition to those foundational issues explored at the webinar, other key concepts such as the theory of identification were highlighted, to sensitize regional firearm and toolmark examiners and other officials on the evidentiary hurdles which they have to overcome in (primarily) Daubert hearings, or related hearings in Caribbean jurisdictions. In this regard, several relevant court cases were examined which served as real-world examples of firearm and tool mark related testimony and based on which it was reasoned that examiners need to be held to higher standards with respect to their work and the presentation of that work in the courts.
A total of 155 national officials, including 48 women, from Ministries of National Security, Police Forces, Forensic Laboratories, Intelligence Agencies, Prosecuting Agencies and Public Defender’s offices, Ministries of Attorney General and Academia participated. The webinars saw attendance from Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The webinars were carried out in line with the 2001 UN Programme of Action on Small Arms and Sustainable Development Goal 16 and target 16.4, and contribute towards the implementation of Goal 3 of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap which seeks to “Bolster law enforcement capacity to combat illicit firearms and ammunition trafficking and their illicit possession and misuse”.
The webinars were sponsored by the United States and Canada, respectively, and form part of a series of regional thematic webinars organized and delivered by UNLIREC to prevent and combat illicit firearms and ammunition trafficking in the region.
UNLIREC, as the regional office 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.
From 14 to 18 March 2022, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), carried out technical assessments for government armoury facilities in Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada.
During the in-person mission, UNLIREC advisors reviewed the weapons and ammunition management practices of selected facilities, in accordance with international guidelines including the United Nations Modular Small-arms-control Implementation Compendium (MOSAIC) and the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG).This technical assistance aims to strengthen the physical security and stockpile management practices in both States, to ultimately prevent diversion of weapons and ammunition from State arsenals into illicit markets.
National authorities from the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda, the Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force, as well as the Office of National Drug and Money Laundering Control Policy facilitated site visits from 14 to 16 March, while the Royal Grenada Police Force, Special Service Unit and Her Majesty’s Prison of Grenada facilitated visits during 17 and 18 March.
With national authorities and officials from Grenada (Special Service Unit and Royal Grenada Police Force)
UNLIREC also met with government representatives to coordinate future activities in line with the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap and the respective National Action Plans for each State. This assistance was made possible with the financial support of the government of Canada.
UNLIREC, as the regional office 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.
The workshop, aimed at investigators, prosecutorial and public defense agencies, judicial officers, legal officers and policy personnel, showcased several approaches to firearms identification, covering topics such as firearms and ammunition identification; comparative pattern analysis; ballistic imaging; shooting reconstruction; and court testimony.
Firearm identification and examination involve the analysis of firearm-related evidence. While this typically includes comparing firearms and fired bullets and cartridge cases to determine if those bullets or cartridge cases could have been fired from the firearm, it can and usually does, involve much more. The workshop explored the examination of firearms to determine if they are functional or modified to function in a way that was not intended by the manufacturer. It also covered the restoration of serial numbers that have been obliterated from the firearms, often stolen, to prevent the tracing of the firearm which would allow law enforcement agencies to identify the last known point of possession. Another key area presented was the process of examining fired bullets or cartridge cases from a crime scene to compare them with any recovered, unfired ammunition. Shooting reconstructions are also a relatively common process that was touched upon, which provides information that can corroborate or refute various accounts of a shooting. And importantly, the use of ballistic imaging technology, which involves the imaging of fired bullets a from crime scenes to be searched against a database of like entries to determine the potential that the same firearm was used at other shooting scenes, was also explored.
One hundred and twenty officials, including seventy-four women, from the Judiciary, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Public Defenders Department, Ministry of National Security, Police Service, Forensic Science Centre, Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs, Strategic Services Agency and Police Complaints Authority participated in the workshop.
The Firearms Identification Workshop contributes towards the implementation of Goal 3 of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap, Bolster law enforcement capacity to combat illicit firearms and ammunition trafficking and their illicit possession and misuse, and ammunition, and ultimately reducing firearms-related crimes and armed violence in the Caribbean. The course was made possible with the financial support of the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
UNLIREC, as the regional centre 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 Programme of Action on Small Arms.
