On 15 February 2022, Haiti became the 12th State to commence concrete actions under the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap and initiated the process to establish a National Action Plan (NAP) for its implementation. Haiti 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) in 2019.
From 11 to 17 May 2022, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) conducted a five-day in-country mission to Port-au-Prince to advance the elaboration of the NAP. UNLIREC joined the authorities in Haiti to facilitate discussions on the steps needed to map out Haiti’s priorities, plans, and timelines for the NAP during the first segment of the mission. The mission built on UNLIREC’s technical assistance and a series of virtual interinstitutional preliminary sessions.
During the mission, representatives of the Ministries of Justice, Interior, Foreign Affairs, Youth, Sports and Social action, the National Commission for Disarmament, Dismantlement and Reinsertion (also representing the Ministry of Defense), the Police, Customs, and the Port Authority began mapping out past and current arms control initiatives in the country as well as assistance needs to combat the illicit proliferation of firearms and ammunition. A second mission planned for July 2022, is expected to conclude the work on the Action Plan.
Additionally, UNLIREC provided legal assistance to Haitian authorities during the May visit, in continuity of updating Haiti´s firearms law which began in 2020. UNLIREC´s legal experts discussed specific findings and recommendations related to the draft decree which authorities are currently reviewing, as well as how to regulate weapons and ammunition in possession of private security companies in the Latin American and Caribbean region.
The mission was funded by the Government of Germany and carried out in collaboration with the Government of Haiti and the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), the UN Department of Peace Operations as well as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
UNLIREC, as the regional centre under the umbrella of the UN Office for Disarmament, seeks to advance the cause of practical disarmament in Latin America and the Caribbean and supports Member States in their implementation of international disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation instruments.
