On 27 May 2024, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in collaboration with the Government of Barbados, began a Small Arms and Ammunition Destruction Exercise funded by the US Department of States Office for Weapons Removal and Abatement (WRA).
Improper and long-term storage of obsolete, seized and surplus firearms and ammunition can be a risk. Their destruction plays a crucial role in preventing diversion from the legal to the illicit sphere.
This UNLIREC-led project contributes to making the Caribbean region a safer one by supporting States in the effective implementation of 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).
During the 5-day exercise, the Barbados Police Service and the Barbados Defence Force destroyed a quantity of small arms and various calibers of ammunition. Additionally, during the period, four persons were trained in the destruction of weapons using hydraulic shears. Three independent government and civil society observers participated in the exercise. A Light Ammunition Burning Tank was also donated to the Government of Barbados by UNLIREC and will aid the future destruction of ammunition.
Since 2010, 23 Latin American and Caribbean States have destroyed more than 110,000 small arms and light weapons and more than 140 tonnes of ammunition with UNLIREC support.
UNLIREC, as the regional office 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.