Aug 6, 2018 | Uncategorized
From August 6-9 (Belize) and 13-16 (Guyana), the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in collaboration with Energy Containment Concepts of England, completed the installation, training and handing over of a 20 ft Containerized Test Firing Range to the National Forensic Science Service (NFSS) of Belize and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) respectively.
In 2015, UNLIREC conducted Technical Assessments of the National Forensic Science Service (NFSS), GPF and Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory to determine the Forensic Ballistics Capabilities and Future Requirements of the Governments of Belize and Guyana. The findings of these assessments noted similar health and safety concerns with the existing test fire facilities in both countries. In Belize, the Assessment highlighted that, test firing facilities presented health and safety issues that needed to be addressed urgently as conditions were potentially very dangerous to staff. Similarly, it was noted that the GPF test fire facilities did not meet any standards, is not fit for purpose and should be addressed immediately.
UNLIREC engaged an internationally recognised leader in the installation of Firearm Ranges to supply and commission a containerized test firing range for both countries. The ranges are lined with ballistic steel, acoustic surfacing panels designed to reduce and absorb reflected sound on the perimeter walls, non-skid anti-ricochet rubber mats on the floor, anti-ricochet ballistic tiles to slow the speed of fired projectiles on the walls and ballistic rubber bullet catchers capable of withstanding up to 5000 shots before replacement.
The cost of the containerized range for each country was US$80,000.00. The new facility would significantly reduce health and safety concerns, boost the morale and efficiency of the Forensic Firearms Examiners, and improve the National Forensic Science Service and Guyana Police Force’s forensic ballistic capacity. Test firing and function testing practices will now take place in secured ballistic facilities.
The supply of the containerized test firing range is one of several activities provided under the Operational Forensic Ballistic assistance package sponsored by Canada (Belize) and by the United States of America (Guyana). Other assistance to Belize and Guyana included a specialized Evidence Management Course, equipment and training in the creation of double casts of bullets and cartridge cases, provision of forensic ballistic Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and the development of Collaborative Exercises to prepare firearm examiners for proficiency testing.
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 and non-proliferation instruments, in particular, the 2001 UN Programme of Action on Small Arms.
Jul 23, 2018 | Uncategorized
Both State-owned and private arms, ammunition and explosive stockpiles are prone to the risk of theft, diversion and unexpected accidents. These risks can, however, be reduced or mitigated through proper stockpile management. Against that background, on 23-24 July, 2018, UNLIREC carried out a training workshop in Lima, Peru for Peruvian military personnel on International Standards in Physical Security and Stockpile Management.
A total of 20 officials attended and were provided with theoretical and practical knowledge on, inter alia, the classification and identification of arms, ammunition, explosives, hazardous materials, risk assessments, security plans, inventories, arms depots, storage methods, weapons marking and destruction. The UNLIREC team led the workshop, focusing on measures to ensure physical security and effective stockpile management in accordance with the International Small Arms Control Standards (ISACS) and International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG).
It is expected that participants incorporate these standards and good practices into the management of their respective munitions sites.
This workshop is the first of a series of training workshops that will be carried out under the“Stockpile Management and Arms and Ammunition Destruction” project that UNLIREC has been implementing since 2017. This project has been made possible thanks to the financial support of the Government of the United States of America.
Jul 17, 2018 | Uncategorized
The impact of armed violence on children and adolescents has become a major challenge for Latin America and the Caribbean. In Brazil, for instance, an estimated 39 adolescent homicides are recorded every day, with the vast majority of these victims being Afro-Brazilian adolescents and young people from peri-urban areas.
On 17-18 July, 2018, in order to tackle this issue and find innovative solutions, UNICEF Brazil held the International Workshop entitled “Protection of the Rights of Children and Adolescents Affected by Armed Violence in Brazilian Urban Centres” in Rio de Janeiro.
During this workshop, different specialists considered global, regional and local perspectives when addressing the characteristics, contexts, manifestations, impacts and challenges of armed violence affecting that population group, with particular emphasis on Brazil. Other topics of discussion included a series of initiatives and good practices in the region regarding armed violence prevention and reduction, as well as a series of mechanisms to enhance responses aimed at guaranteeing safe environments for children and adolescents, with the focus being placed on the protection of their rights.
Within this framework, UNLIREC presented the preliminary findings of its ongoing research project on the phenomenon of Weapons in Schools, a problem that is present in varying degrees throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. In recent years, public opinion, studies and specialized diagnoses have all identified the presence of firearms in schools as a risk factor for the creation and reproduction of violence in such environments. In that regard, UNLIREC made reference to the various manifestations of this phenomenon and shared the responses and projects that some Governments and other actors in the region have been implementing to address and prevent the presence of firearms and armed violence in schools.
The event concluded with participants acknowledging the need to move forward with interventions concerning armed violence prevention. These interventions must be based on the protection of the rights of children and adolescents and should be comprehensive, focused, coordinated and inclusive, especially at the local level. Another noteworthy point was the need to remain focused on and to consider the structural factors influencing armed violence in communities. Participants also noted the importance of making greater efforts to enhance and develop more effective controls governing the use and proliferation of firearms and ammunition.
There were over 100 workshop participants from public institutions, civil society organizations, young people and adolescents from Rio de Janeiro and other Brazilian states, as well as representatives from specialized UN agencies, guests and international experts.
Jun 21, 2018 | Uncategorized
From June 21-22, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), in cooperation with its Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America, hosted a training workshop on the high-level fissile material cut-off treaty expert preparatory group consultative process. The workshop took place in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
Caribbean government officials from Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Haiti, Saint Lucia, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, working in the area of weapons of mass destruction and nuclear security, as well as representatives from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL), participated in the workshop on the high-level FMCT expert preparatory group consultative process.
The workshop was made possible with the financial support from the European Union pursuant to Council Decision 2017/2284 “to provide support to States in the African, Asia-Pacific and Latin America and Caribbean regions to participate in the high-level fissile material cut-off treaty expert preparatory group consultative process”.
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 and non-proliferation instruments, in particular, the 2001 UN Programme of Action on Small Arms.
Jun 21, 2018 | Uncategorized
From June 21-22, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), conducted a Firearm Marking Technical Meeting two activities in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
The marking of firearms and ammunition is a long-standing practice carried out by the manufacturers themselves, as a way to distinguish the quality of their products from other manufacturers. Marking firearms also provides basic information about the manufacturer and the different actors that participated in the legal trade in arms and ammunition, facilitates traceability of the weapon in time and geographic space, from its manufacture to its last legal representative, and, identifies a weapon, and establishes relations between it and a crime, facilitating criminal investigation processes. The marking of small arms is an obligation for states in several international instruments, including the: Firearms Protocol (2001), the Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, and Other Related Materials (CIFTA) 1997, Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PoA) 2001 and the International Tracing Instrument (ITI) 2005.
UNLIREC convened the Firearm Marking Technical Meeting to highlight the marking of firearms and ammunition as a key small arms ammunition control measure to prevent diversion of licit weapons, improve accountability and enhance the traceability of illicit weapons. The Inter-institutional meeting also sought to strengthen the awareness and coordination of security sector authorities.
The Meeting and practical marking exercise include representatives of the Police Service, Prison Service, Forensic Science Centre, Customs and Excise Department and Ministry of National Security. UNLIREC demonstrated the practical use of its Laser Marking Machine to mark firearms according to national and international guidelines for the marking of firearms. Participants were able to observe the representative of the Forensic Science Centre utilising Fry’s reagent to recover the ‘serial number‘ from an obsolete weapon that was marked using the laser machine, then had the numbers obliterated using a metal grinder. The recovery of the ‘serial number’ demonstrated the recoverability of erased laser markings on weapons.
The Firearm Marking Technical Meeting is part of UNLIREC’s Combat of Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons and Ammunition in the Caribbean which is made possible thanks to the support of the government of Germany.
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 and non-proliferation instruments, in particular, the 2001 UN Programme of Action on Small Arms.
Jun 21, 2018 | Uncategorized
The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), in cooperation with its Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), are organising a training workshop on the high-level fissile material cut-off treaty (FMCT) expert preparatory group consultative process. The workshop will take place in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, from 21 to 22 June 2018.
Caribbean government officials working in the area of weapons of mass destruction and/or nuclear security issues as well as representatives from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL) will participate in the workshop.
The workshop aims to facilitate dialogue at the sub-regional level among member states and regional organisations on the implications of a future treaty and its relationship with already existing global and regional instruments. It will also allow for sharing of knowledge and information on issues relevant to banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices and will provide an opportunity to exchange views, and discuss challenges and ways ahead in relation to a future treaty. The meeting will also address potential components of a future FMCT and will thereby increase the capacity of States to participate in potential future FMCT negotiations.
The workshop is made possible thanks to the generous financial support from the European Union.
