CARICOM | Regional Stakeholders Review Progress of Caribbean Firearms Roadmap

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Wednesday, 15 November 2023 (CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen) -  Efforts to combat the illicit proliferation and misuse of firearms and ammunition engaged the attention of Ministers of Security, CARICOM officials, and other high-level representatives from the Caribbean Region during the 3rd Annual Meeting of States of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap convened Tuesday, 14 November, in Saint Lucia.

The meeting was organised 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 and the support of the Government of Canada.

The first day of the meeting was dedicated to the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap’s operational aspects, including the importance of evidence-based policymaking established from data collection efforts and a robust monitoring and evaluation framework. Participants shared best practices and lessons learned from national flagship initiatives to address armed violence across the Region.

Other stakeholders made interventions, including the co-custodians of the Roadmap, CARICOM IMPACS and UNLIREC, as well as implementing partners such as the Organization of American States (OAS), International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Small Arms Survey (SAS) and the World Customs Organization (WCO). Ms Izumi Nakamitsu, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, also participated.  

Today’s session included a high-level plenary with ministers and officials from CARICOM Member States, the Dominican Republic and the international community.  The plenary included a review of the significant progress and important achievements made under the Roadmap to date while examining ways to achieve further progress to overcome existing implementing gaps to further strengthen the security of the Region.

In 2020, all CARICOM Member States and the Dominican Republic adopted the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap, formally known as “Roadmap for Implementing The Caribbean Priority Actions on the Illicit Proliferation of Firearms and Ammunition across the Caribbean in a Sustainable Manner by 2030”, to address the challenges of trafficking and misuse of illicit firearms and ammunition.

The vision of the Roadmap encompassed creating a safer Caribbean Region. Since then, the Roadmap has served as a guiding document to achieve the commonly agreed goals and actions, which include strengthening regulatory frameworks on firearms and ammunition. It also includes reducing the illicit flow of firearms into, within and beyond the Region and enhancing law enforcement capacity to combat illicit firearms trafficking.

To achieve these goals, States are developing National Action Plans (NAPs), which set out their national priorities and timelines. Previously, States, partners and donors from the international community gathered virtually to discuss the Roadmap’s implementation. This year, for the first time, they met in person over two days to review and renew their commitment to fully and effectively implementing the Roadmap’s goals.

The trafficking and misuse of illicit firearms and ammunition continue to result in high homicide and crime rates in many Caribbean States, negatively impacting human and public security. This also significantly affects socioeconomic development across the Region, including the public health implications of gun deaths and injuries and the impact of crime on business development and investment.