Nov 19, 2019 | Uncategorized
Within the framework of the “Combating the Illicit Trafficking in Arms and Ammunition in Latin America and the Caribbean” project, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America (UNLIREC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, carries out a national seminar on ammunition control practices from 13-14 November.
The Seminar brought together different national institutions responsible for the control, regulation and management of conventional weapons ammunition, such as the Department of Control Trade of Arms, Ammunition and Explosives (DCCAE, in Spanish), the Department of Logistics of the National Army, the Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Interpol of the National Police of Colombia and the Colombian Military Industry (INDUMIL, in Spanish). International experts from the Ministry of the Interior and Dominican Republic National Police and the Federal Police of Brazil also participated, who addressed the topics of marking and tracing ammunition, respectively.
In Latin American and the Caribbean, the constant supply, availability and proliferation of ammunition to all potential actors who commit violence are a sine qua non for having the highest rates of armed violence in the world. Not only are firearms used more frequently in homicides in Latin America and the Caribbean than in other parts of the world, the same applies to ammunition.
Ammunition control measures are usually less stringent than those for firearms. Even though arms and ammunition are needed for each other to operate, ammunition tends to be less marked, registered, monitored and regulated than firearms, which facilitates their diversion and misuse. The lack of harmonized regulation and limited control over the purchase, sale and transfer of small arms ammunition are the main reasons of their diversion to unauthorized users. Diversion often occurs due to transfers without proper controls, unauthorized re-transfers or leaks/robberies/theft to both state and private arsenals. On the other hand, conventional firearms ammunition (with explosive charges) represents an inherent danger to communities given the risk of Unplanned Explosions at Munitions Sites (UEMS).
In addition, by their very nature, ammunition is more difficult to track. Curbing the adverse effects of the proliferation of ammunition on human security and economic and social development is only possible if States include ammunition in their arms control policies, with the differential treatment that they require.
During the seminar, international guidelines and recognized good practices on conventional ammunition control were presented, which allowed to discuss relevant challenges and opportunities for the control and regulation of ammunition at the national level. Furthermore, this space allowed national authorities with responsibilities for ammunition control to discuss needs and priorities for safe and responsible ammunition management, and, if necessary, open a space for cooperation and mutual coordination.
The implementation of this project is possible thanks to the financial support of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Nov 4, 2019 | Uncategorized
22-23 October 2019 – Over the last few decades, in some countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, reports of firearms being found in schools have become increasingly common. These cases include, among others, students who are caught carrying firearms, armed students who threaten and intimidate their classmates and teachers, as well as accidental and intentional shootings within schools. Such events point to a phenomenon that exists within the region in many shapes and forms.
In Lima, Peru, UNLIREC, with the financial support of the Swedish Government, held the Regional Seminar on initiatives for preventing and dealing with the presence and use of firearms in schools within the region. This was done with the goal of promoting regional dialogue and exchange of experiences on this phenomenon.
During the Seminar, the most significant findings of a recent UNLIREC study on the phenomenon of firearms in schools within the region were presented. This served to examine the main characteristics, impacts and challenges surrounding this issue. In addition, a key part of this Seminar was to reveal a series of initiatives being implemented in different countries in the region to deal with and combat the presence and use of firearms in school settings.
Among the experiences shared through this Seminar are: protocols and guidelines for intervention and prevention against the presence and use of firearms in schools; equipment for data collection and management; awareness and education campaigns concerning the use of firearms and armed violence; other initiatives dedicated to reinforcing schools as safe, violence-free spaces.
Additionally, this Seminar included a group work session in which participants proposed suggestions and recommendations to ensure a comprehensive approach to the challenge posed by the presence and use of firearms in schools within the region. As part of this session, participants agreed on the necessity of a specific approach to this phenomenon, as well as the importance of specific measures and tools in knowing how to act and prevent incidents involving students with firearms within schools. These responses must prioritise the best interests of children, teenagers and young people, considering the circumstances and motivations behind each incident. They also identified the need for early-warning systems, working with the subjective dimension and social and cultural acceptance that comes with firearms, paying close attention to dominant patterns and cultural stereotypes built around masculinity.
More than 80 people participated in this event. Among them were government representatives from the education and public safety sectors, United Nations agencies, civil society organizations and experts from Latin American and Caribbean countries.
As part of their mandate and in compliance with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, UNLIREC will continue promoting dialogue on these topics at the regional, national and local levels. The purpose of this is to strengthen responses to this type of violence that jeopardises and weakens one of the most important spaces for ensuring the proper development of the region’s children, teenagers and young people.
Oct 31, 2019 | Uncategorized
On 30 September 2019, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) held a Seminar on “Arms and Ammunition Import Control of Private Security Companies and Armouries” in Santo Domingo. This Seminar follows the assistance that UNLIREC provides to the Dominican Republic in strengthening its effective and transparent management of small arms and ammunition in the private security sector.
In conjunction with the Superintendence of Surveillance and Private Security (SVSP), this Seminar was organised to share useful technical elements when analysing and authorising the import of arms and ammunition. It was particularly aimed at national institutions, such as private security companies and armouries. The seminar hosted representatives of SVSP, Customs, Ministry of Interior, the Police force, and specialised agencies of the Ministry of Defense.
Throughout the Seminar, participants discussed some of the main legal provisions and obligations contained in international instruments on arms and ammunition transfers control, with special emphasis on those contained in the Arms Trade Treaty.
The Seminar included practical simulation exercises in which participants were encouraged to apply UNLIREC´s risk assessment methodology of imports. This training also allowed for participants to identify future challenges, as well as to strengthen cooperation and coordination among national institutions with responsibilities in arms transfers control, regulation of private security companies and civilian arms control.
In addition to this Seminar, UNLIREC made a series of voluntary visits to some private security companies to assess their management of arms and ammunition, in accordance with international standards.
The implementation of this type of assistance is possible thanks to the financial support of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Oct 31, 2019 | Uncategorized
The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) carried out its trademark ‘Firearms and Ammunition Evidence Management Course (EMC)’ in San José, Costa Rica from 16-18 October 2019 in coordination with the Judicial Investigation Organization (OIJ) of Costa Rica. 29 participants attended this three-day course, including officials from the National Police, Public Ministry, Municipal Police Service, Migration Police, Border Police, Air Vigilance Service, and representatives from the OIJ.
Costa Rica was the host country for the first EMC course in 2015. This second edition incorporated a gender perspective by stressing the gendered impacts of small arms and the link between armed violence and gender-based violence, specifically violence against women. The course provided law enforcement officials and legal operators with the tools and practical guidance to strengthen criminal investigations, specifically related to the proper handling of small arms and ammunition as evidence at investigative sites, as well as the correct application of the chain of custody to prosecute crimes, thus improving the effectiveness of the security sector and justice system.
The EMC course facilitated a space for dialogue and exchange among participants. As a result, both national authorities and representatives of the security and justice sector emphasized the need to foster higher levels of inter-institutional coordination to reduce impunity and to prosecute small arms-related offenses.
This activity forms part of the project entitled Building Momentum for the Regional implementation of A/RES/65/69 on Women, Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Arms Control, which is implemented thanks to the financial assistance of the Canadian Government.
Oct 26, 2019 | Uncategorized
From 21-25 October 2019, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in collaboration with the Government of Barbados, carried out its ninth edition of Interdicting Small Arms, Ammunition, Parts and Components (ISAAPC) Course in the region. This training course forms part of the ‘Combating Illicit Firearms and Ammunition Trafficking in the Caribbean through Operational Forensic Ballistics’ (OFB) project.
The aim of this five-day course is to support Latin American and Caribbean States efforts to mitigate and prevent the diversion and illicit trafficking of firearms, ammunition, parts and components through postal shipments, parcels and baggage by providing specialized x-ray identification training.
The course is aimed at X-ray screening operators and support personnel with responsibilities in control and inspection at points of entry, exit and transit as well as other security check points. Thirty-three (33) screening operators and officials from Barbados Prison Service, Barbados Postal Service, G4S Secure Solutions Barbados, Barbados Customs and Excise, Barbados Port Incorporated and Royal Barbados Police Force attended the course.
Through a theoretical and practical methodology, participants received specialized training on technical specifications of small arms, their parts, components, ammunition and explosives as well as on elements related to the interpretation of X-ray images that may suggest the presence of a threat. In addition, participants had access to a training platform developed by the Center for Adaptive Security Research and Applications (CASRA), which contains a repository of images developed by UNLIREC. The course also included a series of simulations of concealment methods and practical exercises aimed at boost operator’s capacities to identify and detect positive threats when performing their roles and duties.
Participants stressed the importance of having specialized and continuous training, as well as the added value of this course to improve their detection capacities and interdiction practices in support of the prevention and combat of illicit trafficking of small arms, ammunition, parts and components in the country.
The implementation of this course is possible thanks to the financial support of the Government of the United States of America.
Oct 19, 2019 | Uncategorized
From 16-18 October 2019, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in collaboration with the Government of St Kitts and Nevis, led discussions on enhancing firearms-related investigations. This event forms part of the response to effectively addressing existing gaps in the overall management of the lifecycle of a firearm. This lifecycle ranges from the moment a firearm is confiscated or found at the crime scene to the moment it is presented in court as evidence and – ultimately – to its final destruction.
Caribbean States concur that other existing challenges exist throughout the region, such as inadequate communication between investigators and laboratory analysts; ballistic intelligence leads provided to investigative units that are not actioned; leads submitted many years after the original gun crime; and insufficient firearm examiners to analyse the firearms-related evidence. As such, the UNLIREC-led event was intended to enhance coordination, as well as to carry out deeper analysis among the key stakeholders to address any existing gaps and consequently reduce impunity in firearms-related cases.
15 participants – comprised of Crime Analysts, Executive Law Enforcement Officers, Armourers, Crime Scene Investigators, Intelligence Officers and a Customs Official – actively participated in the three-day roundtable. During the event, UNLIREC led discussions on reviewing current practices in St Kitts and Nevis regarding crime gun intelligence management, specifically ballistics intelligence, and presented ways in which ballistic intelligence can be more effectively utilized. The usefulness of ballistic intelligence for enhancing investigations and disrupting trafficking networks was also the focus of dialogue, as were process flows and data on the recovery, forensic processing, international tracing, investigation, and prosecution and trafficking of illicit firearms. The event concluded with the development of recommendations that can assist in combatting armed violence and firearms trafficking.
This Inter Institutional Roundtable in St Kitts and Nevis was made possible thanks to the support of the government of the United States of America.
UNLIREC, as the regional organ 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 instruments, in particular, the UN 2001 Programme of Action on Small Arms.
