WASHINGTON, USA – Security ministers and high-level authorities from seven Central American countries and the Dominican Republic adopted this Wednesday at the headquarters of the Organization of American States (OAS) the “Roadmap to prevent the illicit trafficking and proliferation of weapons, ammunition and explosives”, a new regional instrument that will strengthen their capabilities against one of the greatest threats to security and development in the region.
The initiative, promoted by the OAS in alliance with the United Nations Regional Center for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), with the technical support of the Central American Integration System (SICA) and the financial support of the European Union, will promote essential coordinated strategies to confront a transnational phenomenon.
By adopting the initiative, the authorities of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and the Dominican Republic committed to promoting a joint ten-year strategy based on four fundamental lines of action:
• Strengthening regulations and coordination between countries;
• Control of the complete life cycle of weapons;
• Improvement in the investigation and criminal prosecution of trafficking;
• Prevention of violence with weapons.
Each country, with the technical support of the OAS, UNLIREC and SICA, will develop a National Action Plan (NAP), aligned with the axes and objectives prioritized in the Roadmap to translate regional commitments into specific actions.
The OAS, UNLIREC and SICA will provide technical assistance for the implementation of the Roadmap, which will include other cooperating agencies as implementing partners. Among the most notable innovations are: the establishment of national and subregional coordination mechanisms, unified weapons registration systems, shared tracking protocols, advanced technologies for border control and regional information exchange mechanisms.
The Roadmap includes the creation of a follow-up mechanism, overseen and structured by the OAS, in coordination with UNLIREC and SICA, with monitoring indicators to measure its impact and an interim evaluation. It also goes beyond the pursuit of crime, incorporating violence prevention programs in schools, communities and public spaces, as well as awareness campaigns and voluntary surrender of weapons.
The signing of this new regional instrument took place during an event at the OAS headquarters with the presence of the minister of the Iiterior and police of the Dominican Republic, Faride Raful; Hugo Suarzo, undersecretary of security in prevention and human rights in the office of security of Honduras; Mayda de León, deputy minister of the interior of Guatemala; Juan Carlos Rodríguez, secretary general of the ministry of public security of Panama; Mannon Dennison, member of the firearms and ammunition license control board of Belize; María Eugenia Mata Chavarría, director general of armament of the ministry of public security of Costa Rica; and ambassador Wendy Acevedo, permanent representative of El Salvador to the OAS.
The secretary general of the OAS, Luis Almagro, said: “This day marks a milestone in the security agenda in Central America and the Dominican Republic. I am convinced that the Roadmap will be a key tool to support the Central American governments in their valuable efforts to reduce the impact of armed violence and promote safer countries for our communities.”
For her part, the assistant secretary general and high representative for disarmament affairs of the United Nations, Izumi Nakamitsu, highlighted that the Central American Roadmap, due to the holistic approach with which it has been conceived, will allow “deepening the interconnections between disarmament, peace and security, and development, being the first roadmap to include the prevention of firearms violence as one of its fundamental pillars, addressing both the demand and supply issues, thus promoting alliances with a wide range of partners.”
Hefer Morataya, director of democratic security of the General Secretariat of SICA, also participated in the ceremony.
Central America and the Dominican Republic have made progress in recent years in the fight against armed violence and illicit arms trafficking. However, the subregion still has a homicide rate that exceeds the global average, of 17.3 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants (2023). In 2022, four out of five homicides were perpetrated with firearms. The geographical location of Central America and the Dominican Republic makes the subregion a strategic point for the trafficking of arms, ammunition and explosives, fueling levels of armed violence.
This initiative joins similar efforts such as the Caribbean Roadmap and takes as a reference success stories such as the Balkan Roadmap.
Representatives of the international community, civil society organizations and development banks also participated in the meeting, demonstrating the growing interest in supporting the implementation of the Roadmap and addressing the problem of gun violence in the region.
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