Enhancing Security and Management of Firearms and Ammunition Evidence in Honduras

Feb 17, 2025 | Conventional Arms Programme

From 17 to 18 February 2025, in San Pedro de Sula, representatives of the Honduran Public Prosecutor’s Office participated in the Technical Workshop on Physical Security and Management of Firearms and Ammunition Evidence Storage Facilities. The workshop was organized by the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) in collaboration with the beneficiary institution.

Effective management of firearms and ammunition evidence not only reduces the risk of loss and theft but also prevents accidents and enhances overall peace and security. The primary objective of the training was to strengthen national capacities in managing and securing evidence storage facilities in accordance with international norms and standards – a critical measure to prevent incidents that could compromise the storage and preservation of evidence.

A total of 39 officers from various regions (Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, Puerto Cortés, Choloma, El Progreso and La Ceiba) and different units of the Public Prosecutor’s Office participated, including prosecutors and personnel from the Directorate for Combating Drug Trafficking (DLCN), Technical Agency for Criminal Investigation (ATIC), Directorate of Forensic Medicine, Department of Security, and File, Evidence, and Historical Documents Management Module (MAAEDH), among others. Participants exchanged experiences from their respective fields.

During the workshop, UNLIREC covered key aspects of evidence storage management as outlined in the Modular Small-arms-control Implementation Compendium (MOSAIC) and the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG). As part of the agenda, MAAEDH, the national authority responsible for evidence management, presented the national regulatory framework and institutional structure governing evidence management.

The workshop was held within the framework of the SALIENT initiative (Saving Lives Entity), a joint programme by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). This initiative aims to reduce armed violence by addressing its root causes and promoting a comprehensive approach that integrates development and security. By incorporating firearms control into national security and development efforts, SALIENT acknowledges that the illicit proliferation of firearms and ammunition threats lives, governance and socioeconomic development.

The assistance aligns with international instruments on firearms and ammunition, as well as the Central American and Dominican Republic Roadmap to Prevent Illicit Trafficking and Proliferation of Firearms, Ammunition and Explosives, adopted in February 2025. This strategy fosters national and subregional coordination and cooperation, establishing a common strategic agenda among seven countries in the sub-region, including Honduras, to implement coordinated actions to prevent and combat these criminal threats.

OAS and UNLIREC initiate the development of the Central American Road Map to prevent the illicit trafficking and proliferation of arms and ammunition

Jul 6, 2023 | Conventional Arms Programme

June 2023. The Department of Public Security of the Organization of American States (DPS/OAS) and the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) have initiated the development process of the Central American Road Map to Prevent the Illicit Trafficking and Proliferation of Arms and Ammunition. Based on this initiative, Central American States will establish shared priorities, objectives and actions aimed at increasing the effectiveness of actions to tackle these issues.

In October 2022, the OAS General Assembly requested the DSP/OAS, in collaboration with UNLIREC, to develop a proposal for a Central American Road Map to promote coordinated strategies in preventing and combating the illicit trafficking and proliferation of arms and ammunition. With the financial support from the European Union, both OAS and UNLIREC will be pursuing the development of this sub-regional initiative, which will be integrated into the Central American Security Strategy (ESCA).

For the development process of the Road Map, a series of national and sub-regional meetings are planned with Central American countries and the Dominican Republic. The Road Map process initiated with a series of inter-institutional meetings at the national level addressed to representatives of different State entities with responsibilities in arms control and combatting its illicit trafficking.

During these meetings, both OAS and UNLIREC briefed the authorities on the background, objectives, scope, methodological aspects and next steps for the development of the Road Map. Participating entities learnt also about existing sub-regional road maps and action plans in the Caribbean, the Western Balkans and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region. In turn, national authorities shared their expectations, needs and priorities on this topic and emphasized the importance of advancing on such initiative, taking into account the transnational nature of illicit firearms trafficking, which requires coordinated strategies at both national and sub-regional levels.

These first meetings mark the beginning of the consultation and development process of the Central American Road Map to Prevent the Illicit Trafficking and Proliferation of Arms and Ammunition. This process will have the technical accompaniment of the DSP/OAS and UNLIREC, with the financial support of the European Union.