On 3 June 2025, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), together with Honduras’ Ministry of Education, convened an interagency consultation to support the development of Honduras’s first protocol for the prevention and response to the presence of firearms in schools.
In addition to members of the Technical Working Group from the education sector and school police, the meeting brought together representatives from key national institutions, including the National Human Rights Commission (CONADEH), the National Institute for the Care of Juvenile Offenders (INAMI), the Secretariat for Children, Adolescents and Families (SENAF), the Honduran Drug Observatory and civil society organizations, such as Casa-Alianza and Movimiento Global. Around 40 individuals attended the roundtable meeting.
The primary objective of the meeting was to present progress made in drafting the protocol. Key developments which were shared included the formation of a Technical Working Group led by the Ministry of Education, the launch of a nationwide survey for school administrators, and the development of a situational analysis on the presence of firearms in schools.
The working group has also welcomed a subject matter expert to provide technical support in drafting the protocol.
The second objective of the consultation was to foster collective reflection and gather diverse institutional perspectives on the risks and contributing factors associated with the presence of firearms in schools. Participants also examined existing tools and procedures which address such threats.
Beyond the updates presented by UNLIREC and the Ministry of Education on advances and next steps, the meeting featured a series of presentations on preventative initiatives. These included public awareness campaigns such as “Without Guns, More Peace” and “Disarmed and Educated” spearheaded by the United Nations Development Programme, the Community Police, and the civil society group Youth Against Violence. The School Police also shared their experience creating workshops and educational materials aimed at preventing and addressing rights violations affecting children and adolescents in school settings. This part of the meeting sparked a dynamic discussion about concrete actions to be included in the implementation of the Protocol.
The meeting concluded with the identification of new opportunities for coordination among participating entities, along with a roadmap outlining next steps. A draft of the Protocol is expected to be finalized and presented during a series of outreach workshops in September and October 2025.
This consultation is part of a broader set of activities led by UNLIREC and the Ministry of Education under the global SALIENT initiative (Saving-Lives Entity), implemented by UNLIREC and UNDP Honduras. The initiative aims to improve citizen security by strengthening arms control policies and frameworks to prevent armed violence across the country.
Kingston/Jamaica, 12 March 2025 – In a significant step towards improving school safety in Jamaica, representatives from national institutions and organizations gathered at the Planning Institute of Jamaica for a National Stakeholder’s Forum. The forum is a key step in the development of the “National Schools Firearms Management and Response Protocol: A Comprehensive Guide to Preventing, Managing, and Responding to Firearm-Related Incidents in Schools,” an initiative jointly led by Jamaica’s Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information (MOESYI) with the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC).
The primary purpose of the National Stakeholders’ Forum was to gather valuable feedback on the first draft of the Protocol, which aims to provide a national framework for preventing, managing, and responding to incidents involving firearms in educational settings across Jamaica.
A total of 36 representatives – including 20 women – participated in the forum, representing a broad spectrum of national institutions. These included the MOESYI, the Ministry of National Security, the Planning Institute of Jamaica, the National Parenting Support Commission, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), the Jamaica Association of Guidance Counsellors in Education (JAGCE) and the Jamaican Psychological Society, among others.
The Protocol is being developed as part of the Saving Lives Entity (SALIENT) initiative in Jamaica, which seeks to tackle armed violence and illicit small arms within a broader framework of people-centred security and sustainable development.
A Collaborative Effort
In the months ahead, MOESYI and UNLIREC will continue to work closely with these stakeholders to refine the Protocol, incorporating feedback from senior leadership. The aim is to finalize the document for formal adoption and ensure its implementation across Jamaica’s education system.
The development of the Protocol follows the 2023 Guidelines for the Development of Protocols to Tackle the Presence and Use of Firearms in Schools. Over the course of 2024 and into 2025, UNLIREC, in partnership with MOESYI, facilitated a series of consultations with key national stakeholders, offering expert guidance throughout the process and supported in the establishment of a multistakeholder technical working group to oversee and guide the drafting of the Protocol.
The Protocol is designed to improve coordination, institutional responses, and preventive measures at all levels of Jamaica’s education system, ensuring a safer and more supportive environment for students and educators alike.
The Protocol’s Objectives: A Comprehensive Guide for Prevention, Management, and Response
The “National Schools Firearms Management and Response Protocol: A Comprehensive Guide to Preventing, Managing, and Responding to Firearm-Related Incidents in Schools” serves as a detailed framework for addressing firearm-related incidents within educational institutions across Jamaica. Aligned with international best practices, national legislation, and established school safety policies, this Protocol outlines standardized procedures to ensure the safety and security of students, staff, and school communities.
In light of the increasing prevalence of firearm-related incidents in Jamaica and the broader Caribbean region, this Protocol aims to equip school administrators, teachers, and security personnel with structured intervention strategies to prevent firearm threats, de-escalate crises, and support post-incident recovery efforts.
The specific objectives of the Protocol include:
Establishing Clear and Effective Response Mechanisms. Providing structured, standardized procedures for effectively managing firearm-related incidents in schools.
Strengthening Preventative and Risk Reduction Measures. Implementing early detection mechanisms and enhanced security protocols to prevent the presence and misuse of firearms within schools.
Enhancing Stakeholders Coordination. Establishing reporting mechanisms, crisis communication strategies, and fostering collaborative partnerships across different sectors to improve overall response efforts.
Addressing the Psychological and Social Impact of Firearm Incidents: Prioritizing post-incident recovery strategies, including access to counselling, trauma-informed care training for teachers, peer support initiatives, and reintegration programmes for affected students.
Promoting a Culture of Non-Violence and Conflict Resolution: Beyond immediate response and prevention, the Protocol seeks to reduce the normalisation of violence and improve overall school safety by fostering a culture of peace, non-violence, and responsible conflict resolution within school communities.
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.
Jamaica’s Ministry of Education and Youth (MoEY) and the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) are collaborating to strengthen measures to tackle the presence of firearms in schools and youth-related violence in general.
During a recent seminar organised by the MoEY’s Safety and Security in Schools’ Unit, UNLIREC and the Planning Institute of Jamaica, participants including representatives of UN agencies, civil society members and youth representatives noted the challenges of youth-related armed violence, inside and outside of school campuses as well as measures being implemented to address the problem. They also highlighted the need for the education and security sectors to provide coordinated responses and comprehensive solutions to ensure the well-being of communities, given that violence affects almost all aspects of life in society.
The discussions focused on preventive approaches across Latin America and Caribbean. While Jamaica has not had many incidents involving the use of firearms in schools, it is seen as crucial for stakeholders to work together from a prevention angle. “Prevention is better than cure” was a key sentence repeated throughout the seminar by participants and panellists.
“Firearm-related and other types of violence is an unfortunate reality of our society that often spills over onto school campuses. Violence by and among students in schools and elsewhere often result from many contributing factors including community disputes, dysfunctional family relations, maladaptive behaviours by students and sometimes the easy access to weapons. We need to address the elements that put children at risk, including access to firearms. We need to create a positive and inclusive school environment assisting students to build upon their strengths,” said Mrs. Fayval Williams, Minister of Education and Youth in her remarks.
Mrs. Soledad Urruela, UNLIREC’s Director stated in her remarks that “The mere presence of a firearm in a school setting – for whatever reason – is a transgression and an affront to everything schools represent. Weapons have no place in spaces that exist for peaceful coexistence, socializing and most of all for learning, in which girls, boys, and adolescents are taught to be good citizens and where indispensable core values are transmitted. We must all work toward preventing this scourge through an inclusive, whole of society approach. We must all do our duty to guarantee safe schools for a just, peaceful and sustainable future for our children and societies”.
During the Seminar, UNLIREC officially launched the Guidelines for the Development of Protocols to Tackle the Presence and Use of Firearms in Schools, which will serve as the basis for national discussions among different stakeholders for the development and implementation of action and response protocols to firearms incidents in school settings.
The initiatives and recommendations presented and discussed during the Seminar will serve as practical references to strengthen the efforts already being made by Jamaican institutions in the violence prevention sector, particularly school violence.
Dr. Anna Paolini, Director of UNESCO’s Office for the Caribbean expressed on behalf of the UN Resident Coordinator that “the national seminar gives evidence to the capacity of the UN system to collaborate for development by leveraging the multinational expertise of its agencies and taking them to the shores of member States. Jamaica recognizes that the issue of violence in schools requires a multi-stakeholder approach, and the UN welcomes the opportunity to play its role as partner”.
This Seminar forms part of the activities carried out under the Saving Lives Entity (SALIENT) fund initiative in Jamaica, which seeks to operationalize and mainstream small arms control into development efforts and policies in Jamaica and marks the end of UNLIREC´s firearms in schools’ component under the Salient project.
The SALIENT fund initiative is implemented in Jamaica by the Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and its Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), as well as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
On 26 October, the Ministry of Education and Youth (MoEY) of Jamaica, in collaboration with the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), hosted a roundtable meeting on responses to tackle the presence of firearms in schools. The roundtable meeting aimed at promoting dialogue at the national level on this phenomenon between the different stakeholders and sectors.
During the event, the current context of the presence of firearms in Jamaican schools, their possible impacts, and the challenges that this problem represents were discussed. Representatives from MoEY, the Jamaica Police Force and the Jamaica Planning Institute exchanged views and experiences highlighting some of the measures being implemented to address gun violence in schools.
Discussions focused on preventive approaches across the Latin American and Caribbean region. “While Jamaica has not had many incidents involving the use of firearms on school campuses, it is important that educators and agents of change must work together to proactively identify preventive approach”, emphasized a participant.
UNLIREC informed those discussions with a presentation on the main findings of its regional study ‘Firearms in Latin America and Caribbean Schools- Approaches, Challenges and Responses’. During the presentation, UNLIREC highlighted the main of the manifestations of this phenomenon as well as good practices which are implemented across the region.
To promote the exchange of good practices, the Ministry of Public Education from Costa Rica participated in the roundtable, sharing its initiative entitled ‘Gun Free Schools’, a public policy that is being implemented at the national level in all public schools in Costa Rica and that has includes in regulatory frameworks, protocols and guidelines, data collection, awareness raising campaigns and concrete actions which engage young people.
This virtual roundtable forms part of the activities carried out under the Saving Lives Entity (SALIENT) fund initiative in Jamaica, which seeks to operationalize and mainstreaming small-arms control into development efforts and policies in Jamaica.
The SALIENT fund initiative is implemented in Jamaica by the Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and its Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), as well as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
