On 16 April 2024, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in collaboration with the Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS), hosted the year’s first Partner Coordination meeting for the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap (CFRM).
This virtual meeting provided Implementing Partners with the opportunity to discuss progress made in the implementation of the Roadmap, and future support to be provided to States. This was done with the aim of furthering partner collaboration and coordination of activities.
During the session, topics discussed included: the status of National Action Plans and Monitoring and Evaluation processes; Outcomes of the 3rd Annual Meeting of States for the CFRM, held in Saint Lucia in November 2023; and the tools being used by partners to coordinate efforts. As part of the meeting, partners also discussed activities and support to be offered to States in 2024.
Sixteen persons participated in the event, including ten women. A wide range of partner organizations were present, including the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), Mines Advisory Group (MAG), Organization of American States (OAS), Small Arms Survey (SAS), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and World Customs Organization (WCO).
The Partner Coordination meeting was conducted in line with Goal 1 of the CFRM, to reinforce regulatory frameworks governing firearms and ammunition, particularly Target 1.3.3, as well as Sustainable Development Goal 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions, with particular relevance to Target 16.4. The meeting was made possible to generous funding from the government of Germany.
UNLIREC, as the regional centre for the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, 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 (UN PoA).