Spotlight
See the top, latest stories and events coming from UNLIREC.
Working Paper – Firearms Marking with Laser Engraving: Technical Insights and Recommendations
Marking is a critical element in arms control, aiding with effective stockpile management, preventing the diversion of firearms into illicit markets, countering illicit trafficking and ensuring the traceability of firearms in criminal investigations. This paper...
Central America and Dominican Republic Firearms Roadmap
In February 2025, Central American States and the Dominican Republic adopted the Roadmap to Prevent the Illicit Trafficking and Proliferation of Firearms, Ammunition and Explosives, reaffirming their commitment to a safer future for all. The Roadmap establishes a...
Adoption of the Central America and Dominican Republic Roadmap to Prevent Illicit Trafficking and Proliferation of Firearms, Ammunition and Explosives
Washington, DC, 12 February 2025 – Ministers of security and high-level officials from six Central American countries and the Dominican Republic will adopt the Central American and Dominican Republic Roadmap to Prevent the Illicit Trafficking and Proliferation of...
Insights from the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap States
Antigua and Barbuda Author: Travis Crump, Sergeant, Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda As the Focal Point for Antigua and Barbuda, I write to share on the progress in Implementing the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap from my point of view. Antigua and Barbuda’s...
GenerAcción Paz: building dreams, disarming violence
The United Nations Regional Center for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) launches the first edition of the GenerAcción Paz programme, which aspires to empower Latin American and Caribbean youth to create a region free of...
4th Annual Meeting of States of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap
From 13 to 14 November 2024, officials from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Dominican Republic will gather virtually for the 4th Annual Meeting of States of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap. States, together with partners and donors from the international...
Updates
See the top, latest stories and events coming from UNLIREC.
Policy Framework launched to support CARICOM countries in firearms and ammunition disposal
Caribbean countries now have access to a policy framework that will support and align with international best practices, their efforts in the disposal of the remnants left behind after the destruction of obsolete, unserviceable and illicit firearms and ammunition...
Colombia’s Justice System Strengthens Gender Perspective in Firearms-Related Crime Investigations
From 10 to 13 June 2025, officials from Colombia’s Judiciary and Public Prosecutor’s Office in Bogota participated in two specialized training courses focused on integrating gender perspectives into firearms-related crime investigations. The trainings were organized...
Strengthening National Security: Antigua and Barbuda Enhances Weapon Stockpile Safety
From 10 to 13 June 2025, a Physical Security and Stockpile Management (PSSM) Workshop was held at Camp Blizzard in Antigua and Barbuda. The event, organized by the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean...
Interagency Consultation Held in Honduras to tackle presence of firearms in schools
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...
Announcements
See the top announcements from UNLIREC.
UNLIREC at a glance
UNLIREC supports Latin American and Caribbean States in achieving and maintaining peace and security through disarmament.
Established in January 1987
The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), located in Lima, Peru, was established by UN General Assembly resolution 41/60 J in 1987.
Supports global disarmament and international peace and security
UNLIREC was created to promote and enhance international efforts towards global disarmament and international peace and security through the support and promotion of regional disarmament efforts (A/66/6(Sect.4)) taking into account the specific characteristics of each region.
Provides support in the area of disarmament
Supporting the implementation of international instruments, UNLIREC provides policy guidance, legal assistance, technical support, disarmament education, and regional dialogue and collaboration.
Provides support to Member States
The Regional Centre continued to support Latin America and Caribbean States in their efforts to implement activities focused on strengthening arms control frameworks and preventing armed violence, in line with regional priorities, and to implement multilateral instruments on weapons of mass destruction
Structure of UNLIREC
The main parts of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs’ Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC). It was created by a UN General Assembly resolution in 1987.
Supporting International Instruments
Help Member States implement global arms control and non-proliferation commitments—providing legal, policy, and technical assistance to operationalize UN and treaty obligations and to report on progress.
Regional Initiatives & Roadmaps
Co-design and facilitate sub-regional roadmaps that translate commitments into coordinated action across Latin America and the Caribbean—aligning policies, setting milestones, and sharing good practices.
Arms Control & Ammunition Management
Strengthen national systems for safe, secure, and accountable management of firearms and ammunition—from legislation and licensing to marking/tracing, stockpile safety, risk reduction, and destruction.
Gender, Women’s Participation & Disarmament
Integrate gender perspectives across policies and programmes, expand women’s participation in decision-making and technical fields, and build capacity to generate and use sex-disaggregated data in arms control.
Youth, Peace & Security
Equip young leaders and institutions with tools for violence prevention and arms control education—fostering meaningful youth engagement in policy dialogues, community initiatives, and regional cooperation.
Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
Support national and regional efforts to prevent the proliferation of WMD and related materials—strengthening legal frameworks, export controls, detection and response capacities, and cross-border collaboration.
Watch and Learn
Video and audio from UNLIREC.
Episode 11: Bonus
We’re celebrating the fourteenth anniversary of the adoption of the UN resolution on women, disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control with a special episode featuring Maritza Chan Valverde, Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the UN, and Dennis Francis, Permanent Representative of Trinidad and Tobago to the UN, who, together with Soledad Urruela, Director of UNLIREC, share with us their own experiences and encouraging messages to young women.
Episode 10: Elizabeth Ward
Dr. Elizabeth Ward, a medical epidemiologist with more than 15 years of experience in violence prevention. She established the Jamaica Injury Surveillance System (JISS), which collects critical data on gunshot wounds and supports multi-agency efforts to reduce violent crime. In this episode, she shares her interest and expertise in safety and highlights the essential role of women in driving change. “I’ve seen in hospitals that gun violence can be prevented,” she points out.
Episode 9: Ana Pamela Romero
[Available in Spanish] Ana Pamela Romero, a Juris doctor and criminalistics expert from Mexico. In this episode, she tells us about the path that led her from the field of justice to the field of peace and disarmament; in her own words, “we cannot think of justice without peace or peace without justice”.
Episode 8: Mayda de León
[Available in Spanish] Mayda De León is well known for her work on prevention of violence and arms control. In this episode, Mayda De León tells us how, from a young age, she became interested in issues of justice, human rights and later in security, a field in which women were beginning to make their presence felt but which was still dominated by men.
Episode 7: Juliana Aguiar
[Available in Spanish] Juliana Aguiar, Brazilian journalist and human rights defender. In this episode, Juliana Aguiar tells us how her interest in human rights led her to work at the Fogo Cruzado Institute, where she monitors violence in more than 50 Brazilian cities making visible the violence and gun policies that affect so many women.