MAG established a programme in the Caribbean in 2022, partnering with the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS). We launched a joint campaign to reduce armed violence and disrupt illicit firearms trafficking.
This work builds on our existing efforts in Latin America to tackle the challenges around arms and ammunition management and improve community safety.
Why we work in the Caribbean
The Caribbean region experiences some of the world's highest levels of violence. Violent deaths are at almost three times the global average, and firearms are used in more than half of all homicides. Although most homicide victims in the Caribbean are men, rates of violent deaths among women are also high.
Illicit firearms continue to circulate unchecked in the region, and the proliferation of arms and ammunition is a major contributor to insecurity, crime and armed violence. Firearm-related violence puts further strain on public health services and the economy, as well as breeding fear in communities.
Ill-equipped and overcrowded stores of weapons and ammunition, as well as a lack of training on weapons handling, means that arms storage facilities are at an increased risk of theft or unplanned explosions, adding to the problem.
How we help
Working with CARICOM IMPACS, we have carried out technical assessments of weapons and ammunition management in thirteen countries in the Caribbean region: Anguilla, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts, St Lucia, St. Vincent, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. This has enabled us to identify gaps and priorities for support.
We have delivered training to 300+ persons from security forces across the region including foundational ammunition management capacity-building and mentorship, destroyed more than 3,300,000 rounds of obsolete ammunition and thousands of illicit and obsolete weapons, been instrumental in the development of regional policy, delivered firearms registration and tracking software for improved inventory management and have launched refurbishment and construction of more secure facilities to improve weapons storekeeping and ammunition management.
Alongside CARICOM IMPACS, MAG plans to roll out weapons marking and additional assessments and training in other CARICOM member states this year.
The joint strategy of CARICOM IMPACS is to grow and embed arms management expertise in the region’s states to ensure they have sustainable capacity to manage the issue in the long-term.
