May 5, 2021 | Uncategorized
On 5 May 2021, in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense of Argentina, UNLIREC held a virtual seminar on “Ammunition Control Measures” for over 47 Argentinian officials from the defense sector, with responsibilities in ammunition control.
The seminar’s objective was to present the findings of UNLIREC’s legal study on small arms ammunition control measures adopted by Latin American and Caribbean States in their legal frameworks, and to promote dialogue among agencies on the needs and priorities in relation to safe and responsible ammunition management. The study focused on the legal norms that Latin American and Caribbean States have enacted vis-à-vis ammunition control and thus, it does not include an analysis of how these provisions are applied in the region.
During the seminar, UNLIREC emphasized the need for the establishment and effective implementation of ammunition control measures, given the impact of the proliferation and diversion of ammunition on armed violence and illicit trafficking throughout the Latin American and Caribbean region.
UNLIREC presented the international instruments and technical guidelines that address ammunition controls and shared some key provisions contained in the legal frameworks of the region with an emphasis on aspects, such as: regulations on ammunition production/manufacturing, international transfer controls of ammunition, security measures in ammunition transportation, ammunition stockpile security measures, ammunition marking and final disposal.
Representatives of the Army and the Military Industry of Argentina (Fabricaciones Militares SE) presented ammunition control measures implemented in the defense sector on stockpile management, ammunition tracing and security measures during transportation and manufacturing, among others.
UNLIREC’s Legal Study: “Ammunition Control Measures in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Legal Approach” is available in Spanish here.
This virtual seminar was part of the “Combatting Illicit Firearms and Ammunition trafficking in Latin America and the Caribbean” project and it was possible thanks to the financial support of the Government of Germany.
For more information on UNLIREC, visit www.unlirec.org. Please direct all questions or inquiries to info@unlirec.org.
Apr 29, 2021 | Uncategorized
On 29 April 2021, UNLIREC hosted a virtual seminar on “Measures for the Control of Ammunition”, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala. The seminar, addressed to over 70 Guatemalan officers in ammunition control, aimed to promote dialogue amongst national agencies on ammunition management, presenting the findings of UNLIREC’s legal study on small arms control measures adopted by Latin American and Caribbean states.
During the seminar, UNLIREC emphasized the need for establishing and implementing effective measures, given the impact of the proliferation of ammunition on armed violence and illicit trafficking throughout the region.
UNLIREC presented the guidelines found in its legal study entitled “Ammunition Control Measures in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Legal Approach” (available at: www.unlirec.org). The presentation addressed ammunition controls and some key provisions with an emphasis on the following aspects:
- – competent national authorities that apply ammunition controls
- – regulations on ammunition production/manufacturing
- – National/international ammunition transfer controls
- – consumption reports of ammunition dealers and users
- – security measures in ammunition transportation and stockpiling
- – ammunition marking, reloading and final disposal
This virtual seminar forms part of UNLIREC’s “Combatting Illicit Firearms and Ammunition Trafficking in Latin America and the Caribbean” project financially supported by the Government of Germany.
For more information on UNLIREC, visit www.unlirec.org. Please direct all questions or inquiries to Ms. Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer, at cowl@unlirec.org.
Apr 19, 2021 | Uncategorized
From 19-30 April 2021, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin American and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in collaboration with the Argentine Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity and the Women’s Office from Argentina’s Supreme Court, delivered a Specialized Course on Firearms Investigations from a Gender Perspective (FIGP).
The course, as well as helping to sensitize participants on the importance of the gender perspective in tackling crimes committed with firearms, strengthens the technical knowledge of the scientific method of criminal investigation and interinstitutional cooperation in these fields.
More than 30 officials from different institutions working at the scene of investigation and in forensic laboratories, as well as in the treatment of victims of gender-based violence and femicide and their families, were trained.
The diverse group of participants, comprised of police officers, criminologists and others, emphasized one of FIGP’s objectives: strengthening staff coordination and cooperation in order to optimize individual and collective efforts to tackle crimes related to violence against women and firearms.
The course was carried out virtually and was separated into six interactive conferences, in which participants could present their experiences and talk to UNLIREC instructors. The conferences addressed theoretical and technical aspects of criminal investigation and the way in which the gender perspective as a method of analysis helps us to formulate stereotypes, which were reviewed to ensure that they are based on appropriate theory. Case studies were conducted to highlight the absence of a gender perspective, which violates the rights of victims and their families.
During the training, emphasis was placed on the use of firearms to commit different types of violence against women, not only as a murder weapon, but also as a means to threaten, intimidate and coerce. The training also highlighted the importance of the correct management of a crime scene and of firearms as physical evidence in investigations from a gender perspective. The course shared good practices with participants and urged them to strengthen interaction and cooperation across the different stages of judicial investigation, to optimize individual and collective efforts to tackle cases of gender-based violence. This helps to reduce levels of impunity and improves justice and security institutions.
This course forms part of the ‘Support for the integration of the gender perspective in politics, programmes and action in the fight against trafficking and the misuse of small arms’ project, funded by the European Union.
Apr 19, 2021 | Uncategorized
On 19 April 2021 the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in collaboration with the Government of Jamaica, hosted an online National Firearms Tracing Workshop.
In the Caribbean, thousands of illicit firearms are seized annually, however, not all illicit firearms are traced to identify their last known legal owners. Several factors hinder the ability of States to trace 100% of illicit firearms recovered. The age of the firearm, ineffective procedures and absence of serial numbers on firearms are three such factors. The national workshop on tracing was developed in an effort to support States’ efforts to trace firearms.
Twenty-two 22 ballistics experts, firearm technicians, police officers, laboratory directors, customs officials, Defence Force Officers and policy officials from the Ministry of National Security, Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), Jamaica Defence Force, Institute of Forensic Science and Legal Medicine (IFSLM) and the Firearms Licensing Authority took part in the National Tracing workshop. Participants included operational police officers and analysts responsible for recovering illicit firearms, retrieving trace evidence, analysing firearm crime data, tracing firearms and collating information on criminal groups. The tracing workshop included a presentation on the establishment of a Firearms Investigation and Tracing Unit in Jamaica, and presentations from other partners including the United Kingdom’s National Ballistics Intelligence Service, the US Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives and the International Police Organization (INTERPOL).
The tracing workshop precedes a Serial Number Restoration course that to be undertaken for representatives of the JCF and IFSLM to enhance Jamaica’s capacity to successfully trace weapons. It complements other initiatives undertaken by UNLIREC to support Jamaica since its adoption of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap. The Workshop was made possible thanks to support of the government of the United States.
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.
Apr 13, 2021 | Uncategorized
On 13 April 2021, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) and the Caribbean Community’s Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS), in collaboration with the Government of Suriname, and the Government of Germany, hosted a virtual Executive Seminar for the Advancement of Suriname’s National Action Plan for the implementation of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap.
On January 22, 2021 CARICOM officially adopted the ‘Roadmap for Implementing The Caribbean Priority Actions on the Illicit Proliferation of Firearms and Ammunition across the Caribbean in a Sustainable Manner by 2030’ (Caribbean Firearms Roadmap), which consolidates and builds upon the 2019 actions adopted by Caribbean Heads of Governments on addressing the illicit trafficking of firearms in the region.
Suriname, has initiated concrete actions contemplated in the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap by taking steps to create its National Action Plan (NAP). A total of 16 representatives of the Ministry of Defence, , National Security, Police Force, Public Prosecution and Customs Department along with members of the German Embassy, UNLIREC and CARICOM IMPACS participated in the NAP Executive Seminar. Participants discussed the Roadmap and steps needed to map out Suriname’s priorities, plans and timelines for implementing the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap. The successful implementation of the Roadmap will require both the concerted efforts of national authorities, as well as the timely, targeted and coordinated support of regional and international partners and donors. The Roadmap serves as a base document for Suriname in the elaboration of its National Action Plan (NAP).
UNLIREC and CARICOM IMPACS, as the main implementing partners, will lend technical assistance in the elaboration of the NAPs and in their successive implementation. The governments of Canada, Germany, United States of America and the United Kingdom have pledged support to the implementation of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap.
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.
Apr 6, 2021 | Uncategorized
From 6-16 April 2021, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador, delivered the Specialized Course on Firearms Investigations from a Gender Perspective (FIGP).
The course, as well as helping to sensitize participants on the importance of the gender perspective in tackling crimes committed with firearms, strengthens the technical knowledge of the scientific method of criminal investigation and interinstitutional cooperation in these fields.
36 (thirty-six) people appointed by the Supreme Court of the Nation, the Attorney General’s Office, the National Academy of Public Security (ANSP), and the National Civil Police were trained. Notable participants were: judges specializing in sentencing and training for a life free of violence and discrimination against women; prosecutors from the unit for crimes related to life and bodily harm, and from the unit specialized in gang crime and homicides; national police officers, including from the Gender Unit, the Forensic Science Technical Subdirectorate, Case Control, Discipline and Support for Investigations. Officials from ANSP, the Division of Professional Development, and the Division of Studies, among other areas, also participated.
The diverse nature of the group emphasized one of FIGP’s objectives: strengthening staff coordination and cooperation to optimize individual and collective efforts to tackle crimes related to violence against women and firearms.
The course was carried out virtually and was separated into six interactive conferences, in which participants could present their experiences and talk to UNLIREC instructors. The conferences addressed theoretical and technical aspects of criminal investigation and the way in which the gender perspective as a method of analysis helps us reach conclusions free from stereotypes, grounded in objective technical or scientific studies that are based on relevant theory. Case studies were conducted to highlight the absence of a gender perspective, which violates the rights of victims and their families.
During the training, emphasis was placed on the use of firearms to commit different types of violence against women, not only as a murder weapon, but also as a means to threaten, intimidate and coerce. The training stressed the importance of the correct management of a crime scene and of firearms and ammunition as physical evidence in investigations from a gender perspective. The course shared good practices with participants and urged them to strengthen interaction and cooperation across the different stages of judicial investigation, to optimize individual and collective efforts to tackle crimes related to firearms with special attention given to cases of gender-based violence. This helps to reduce levels of impunity and improves justice and security institutions.
This course forms part of the ‘Support for the integration of the gender perspective in politics, programmes and action in the fight against trafficking and the misuse of small arms’ project, funded by the European Union.
