Caribbean States commit to reducing illicit firearms flow across the region

From 14 to 15 November 2023, Ministers of National Security and other officials from the 15 CARICOM States and the Dominican Republic, as well as international donors and other partners, gathered in Saint Lucia for the 3rd Annual Meeting of States of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap. The meeting was hosted by the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) and the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) in collaboration with the Government of Saint Lucia.

Participants reviewed progress on the Roadmap’s goals and action points, which include strengthening regulatory frameworks on firearms and ammunition; reducing the illicit flow of firearms into, within and beyond the region, and strengthening law enforcement capacity to combat illicit firearms trafficking.  They also shared best practices and lessons learnt from national initiatives to address armed violence across the region and strengthen the security of the Caribbean region and its communities. 

The meeting issued a Joint Statement that reaffirmed participants’ commitment to implementing the Roadmap and included an appeal to “manufacturing and exporting states to establish more effective controls to combat the illicit trafficking of weapons towards the countries of the Caribbean region, given the impact on the regional stability.”

MEDIA CONTACT

For additional information on the meeting and the work of UNLIREC to support implementation of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap, please contact:

Melissa Yi, Communications Officer, UNLIREC: melissa.yi@unlirec.org.