- CARICOM IMPACS TO PARTCIPATE IN REVCON4
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) will participate in the Fourth Review Conference of the United Nations (UN) Programme of Action on Small Arms (RevCon4), which takes place at the UN Headquarters in New York, United States of America (USA) from 17 – 28 June 2024.
Every six years, a Review Conference (RevCon) is held at UN Headquarters to review progress made in the implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (PoA) and the International Tracing Instrument (ITI). The third RevCon took place in 2018 and served as a vital opportunity for countries in all regions to strengthen and improve efforts to reduce the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons.
Apart from participating in the Conference, the CARICOM IMPACS team led by Mr. Callixtus Joseph, Assistant Director – Policy, Strategy and Innovation (Ag.) will also attend a series of side events, including: “A Public Health Crisis: Small Arms Trafficking and Violence in the Caribbean” which will be held on 18 June 2024. The discussion will focus on the regional characteristics of small arms proliferation and its impact on public health and sustainable development; the role the public health sector can play in preventing firearms-related violence; as well as the possible synergies between the public health approach to violence prevention and more security-focused initiatives. Mr. Joseph will be a panelist and deliver remarks on synergies between law enforcement and public health interventions.
Referring to the importance of having CARICOM IMPACS representation at the conference, Mr. Joseph remarked: “RevCon4 presents a significant opportunity for the region to shape global policies, ensuring that they align with the interests of CARICOM States in reducing the proliferation and usage of illicit weapons. Curbing the illegal trade of firearms and their ammunition is crucial. The ease of access to illicit guns is a major driver of violence, which poses a significant threat to ordinary citizens’ lives and livelihoods in the Caribbean.”
The CARICOM team will also host its own side event titled: “Advancing Innovative Regional Mechanisms to Reduce Gun Crimes: CARICOM Crime Gun Intelligence Unit,” on 26 June 2024, the focus of which will be regional approaches to gun crime intelligence and key efforts to understand the trafficking dynamics. This session will also analyse the role of regional organisations, such as CARICOM IMPACS, in implementing the UN PoA.
According to the Weapons Compass: The Caribbean Firearms Study 2023: “The Caribbean Region suffers from some of the world’s highest rates of violent deaths, with firearms used in the majority of these crimes. Although most homicide victims are men, the Caribbean as a region also faces one of the world’s highest rates of violent deaths among women.”
The Study also reported that small arms and light weapons (SALW) are used in more than half of all homicides on average in the Caribbean Region; in some countries, this proportion reaches 90 per cent.
