UN training on combating arms, ammo trafficking to boost Guyana’s security capacity 

Guyanese stakeholders, associated with the control of weapons and ammunition, on Monday commenced a course on Combating Trafficking in Arms and Ammunition (CTAM) at the Roraima Duke Lodge, Georgetown.
Conducted in collaboration between the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament, and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) and Guyana’s Government, this three-day course aims to build the capacity of states to tackle transnational crime and support the implementation of international arms control commitments.
This course engages officials of various public institutions responsible for the control of weapons and ammunition at different stages, including the control and regulation of legal trade, and the combat and prevention of illicit trafficking in all aspects.

According to a statement by the Home Affairs Ministry, the CTAM course includes an overview of illicit trafficking in firearms and ammunition in Latin America and the Caribbean, raises awareness of existing mechanisms for international cooperation and information exchange in cases of the illegal trafficking of firearms, strengthens the capacities of the authorities to control and regulate different types of international transfers of arms and ammunition, and enhances coordination, communication, and cooperation between different sectors and actors with responsibilities on these issues to optimise their individual and collective efforts to tackle illicit trafficking.
In attendance at the CTAM course’s opening on Monday were Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn, UNLIREC Director Soledad Urruela, Political Counsellor Canadian High Commission, Caroline Mireault, and UNLIREC Senior Policy Advisor, Jason Francis.
UNLIREC has been working to help build Guyana’s capacity to address firearms trafficking for several years now.
In 2021, the Home Affairs Ministry launched a new unit to clamp down on the trafficking of firearms and ammunition through a National Action Plan for the Firearms Roadmap.
During this time, UNLIREC and the United Nations Development Programme’s South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (UNDP SEESAC) also implemented two documents – the Western Balkans Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Control Roadmap and the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap to seek to collectively curb gun crime in the Region.
Meanwhile, last week, Guyanese law enforcement and military officials were among the 29 within the Caribbean represented at the 2nd Regional Armoury Management Course, delivered by UNLIREC in collaboration with Trinidad and Tobago’s Government.
This course aimed to further equip participants with the knowledge and skills needed to prevent loss, theft and diversion associated with arms management.
Guyana has seen a rise in illegal firearm usage over time, with the GPF reporting the seizure of 68 firearms from January to July 2023, thereby representing a 13.3 per cent increase in overall confiscation of such weapons. (G13)