OEA - CP - Resolución CP CSH 2386

PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE OEA/Ser.G

ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES CP/CSH-2386/26 4 March 2026

COMMITTEE ON HEMISPHERIC SECURITY Original: English REPORT FOR THE THIRTEEN REGULAR MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE ON HEMISPHERIC SECURITY ON THE PREVENTION OF VIOLENCE AND CRIME IN THE

WESTERN HEMISPHERE

(Presented by the Department of Public Security of the Secretariat of Multidimensional Security in preparation for the Committee meeting scheduled for March 12, 2026) This Concept Note is submitted in compliance with the provisions established in the Structure for the consideration of substantive issues during regular meetings (2025-2026) , document CP/CSH/INF. 602/25.

CONTENTS

I. THE WORK OF THE OAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SECURITY IN

RESPONSE TO MANDATES ON PREVENTION OF VIOLENCE AND CRIME .2

II. PRIORITY AREAS IDENTIFIED BY THE OAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC

SECURITY FOR ENHANCING VIOLENCE AND CRIME PREVENTION IN THE

REGION (SUBJECT TO AVAILABLE FUNDING) AND UNFUNDED

MANDATES ....5

A. Technology-facilitated violence towards children and adolescents. ....5

B. Gang violence prevention in Haiti ....6

C. Prevention and reduction of homicide and femicide ....6

D. Artificial intelligence as a violence prevention tool ....72I. THE WORK OF THE OAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SECURITY IN RESPONSE TO MANDATES ON PREVENTION OF VIOLENCE AND CRIME Violence and crime prevention To offer a prevention response to the regional context of violence and crime in the Americas, the DPS was mandated to “Develop intervention models that include violence prevention strategies, the promotion of a culture of peace, and comprehensive approaches with a human rights perspective

aimed at preventing the recruitment and use of children and adolescents by criminal organizations” (AG/RES. 2907 (XLVII-O/17). To comply with this key mandate, the department reinforced the existing OASIS Program into a systemic and comprehensive violence prevention model implemented at the community level. To develop an effective intervention model, the DPS took into consideration that violence, particularly in the Latin America and Caribbean region, is driven by interconnected structural and community-level factors, including socioeconomic inequality and weak family and community protection environments. These conditions contribute to high rates of youth involvement in violence, gender-based violence, victimization (including their recruitment by criminal organizations) , and recidivism, particularly in communities with limited institutional presence. At the community level, prevention and assistance services are frequently fragmented, underresourced, or inaccessible to the populations most at risk. Local protection systems often lack trained personnel, coordinated referral mechanisms, and culturally appropriate prevention strategies. As a result, opportunities for early intervention are missed, and responses tend to be reactive rather than preventive. According to the available data, effective strategies to address this persistent challenge must include fostering safe and stable relationships between children and caregivers, and their communities, cultivating life skills in children and adolescents, peaceful coexistence, promoting gender equality awareness, contributing to transforming cultural and social norms that condone violence, and identifying victims to facilitate their care and assistance. In response to these regional challenges, the OASIS Program was designed to address youth, genderbased, and gang and gun-related violence, as well as violence against children, self-inflicted violence and the provision of victim assistance, through a comprehensive, community-based approach. The program places vulnerable children and youth at its center and integrates evidence-based strategies proven to build protective factors and resilience against multiple forms of violence. OASIS was built with two main components:  Life skills training for children and adolescents living in situations of social vulnerability, through daily afterschool classes for participants aged 7–18, in compliance to AG/RES. 2945 (XLIX-O/19) that requests the General Secretariat, through the DPS, to continue supporting3 -

 Life skills training for children and adolescents living in situations of social vulnerability, through daily afterschool classes for participants aged 7–18, in compliance to AG/RES. 2945 (XLIX-O/19) that requests the General Secretariat, through the DPS, to continue supporting3member states in the implementation of projects for the prevention of violence and crime in schools at the local level.  Violence and crime prevention training for educators aimed at addressing the root causes of violence at the community level. As a consequence of the implementation of the OASIS Program, AG/RES. 2970 (LI-O/21) requested that the SMS, through the DPS, continue to support member states that so request with: “ a. implementation of violence and crime prevention projects under the Inter-American Program for the Prevention of Violence and Crime, pursuant to resolution AG/RES. 2950 (L-O/20); b. violence prevention, comprehensive assistance to victims and survivors, and referral to existing services, encouraging multi-sector stakeholder involvement and promoting coordinated action on local violence prevention policies through the DPS program “OASIS: Music Violence Prevention”; and c. designing and implementing online, self-guided, and/or dynamic training courses, on issues related to violence and crime prevention, in a systematic and sustainable manner”. DPS implemented these mandates through the OASIS program model. A new component on psychosocial support for victims was incorporated into the original program design, and the training activities were expanded beyond educators to include a broader range of community stakeholders, such as professionals in the areas of security and justice, health, social development, and community leaders, as well as parents and caregivers. At present, the DPS/OAS OASIS program addresses violence risk and protection factors at the individual, family, community, and institutional levels. Its methodology, perfected over the years, has been written down into practical worksheets and is available upon request by any prospective stakeholders. OASIS has now 5 components that address violence prevention needs:  Life skills development for children and adolescents, using music-based education as a transformative tool to promote socio-emotional skills, non-violent conflict resolution,

has been written down into practical worksheets and is available upon request by any prospective stakeholders. OASIS has now 5 components that address violence prevention needs:  Life skills development for children and adolescents, using music-based education as a transformative tool to promote socio-emotional skills, non-violent conflict resolution, empathy, and a culture of peace. Those are key protective factors against violence.  Community-based psychosocial support and victims’ assistance , including counseling, family support, trauma-informed care, and referral to specialized services, ensuring that victims and survivors of violence receive timely, ethical, and coordinated assistance.  Multistakeholder training programs tailored to educators and professionals in the fields of security, justice, health, and social assistance, as well as to families and caregivers, through modules on positive parenting and gender equality, thereby reinforcing safe and supportive home and community environments. Three MOOCs have been developed and are available through the OAS Education Portal of the Americas in response to AG/RES. 2950 (L-O/20) and AG/RES. 2970 (LI-O/21).  Community engagement and awareness initiatives, such as prevention campaigns, public events, and the improvement of public spaces, which foster trust, participation, and collective4ownership of violence prevention efforts.  Reintegration pathways for justice-involved youth , supporting their educational, social, and economic inclusion and reducing recidivism, thereby strengthening community safety and cohesion. Since 2009, OASIS has been implemented in El Salvador, Haiti, Jamaica, and Saint Lucia. Over the past five years, the program was implemented again in El Salvador (2021) -in a different context-, in Honduras (2017-2024), and since the second half of 2023 in Peru, in association with PACAM program. To date, the program has achieved the following results:  2,100 youth living in conditions of socioeconomic vulnerability participated in regular life skills training through music, including 70 youth in conflict with the law;  230 public sector and civil society representatives trained on violence prevention and on protecting and assisting victims;

program. To date, the program has achieved the following results:  2,100 youth living in conditions of socioeconomic vulnerability participated in regular life skills training through music, including 70 youth in conflict with the law;  230 public sector and civil society representatives trained on violence prevention and on protecting and assisting victims;  200 families sensitized on positive parenting and the detection of violence risk factors.  Regular psychosocial support provided to 140 families, with 529 individual psychosocial interventions delivered to youth;  140 youth received personalized life project assistance to support their social and professional reintegration;  1,700 youth and community members reached through violence prevention workshops;  24 women survivors of, or vulnerable to, intimate partner violence trained in entrepreneurial skills to strengthen economic independence, and one potential/former irregular migrant;  50 community outreach activities organized with active local participation. • 5 nongovernmental organizations trained to replicate the OASIS “Life Skills through Music” component; as well as  Thousands of indirect beneficiaries reached through public performances and televised concerts. At the regional level, in response to resolution AG/RES. 2986 (LII-O/22) , the OASIS program in collaboration with PACAM, developed the Regional Guidelines for the Prevention of Gender-Based Violence with the Use of Firearms (2024), and a toolkit on the surrender of small arms and weapons (2025). Starting in 2026, OASIS and PACAM will deliver the following activities in Peru:  Life skills training to more than 900 youth at risk, in partnership with the NGO Sinfonía por el Perú;  Implementation of three psychosocial support centers (Lima, Trujillo and Arequipa);  Training of at least 100 additional educators and other local level stakeholders from the5public sector and civil society; and  Training of journalists and influencers to promote the prevention of violence with the use of firearms. At the regional level, beginning in April 2026, OASIS and PACAM will deliver a training course on the prevention of gender-based violence involving the use of firearms, as well as a specialized training course for educators on preventing the use and misuse of firearms within the school environment. As a reminder of the program’s prospective benefits to member states, they were recently urged, through AG/RES. 3031 (LIV-O/24), “to consider adopting the methodology of the ‘OASIS Program – Music for the Prevention of Violence and Strengthening of Community Networks’ in their violence prevention policies, and request the SSM, through the DSP, to continue implementing this program in areas highly affected by violence and crime, in partnership with local authorities”. Despite having received formal requests from several OAS member states for the implementation of the OASIS program, the DPS continues to seek financial resources to respond to those requests.

With respect to the Interamerican Network for the Prevention of Violence and Crime -which contains the OAS Human Trafficking Knowledge Platform,- created in 2015 after a mandate from AG/RES. 2866 (XLIV-O/14), and despite the encouragement to members States to contribute to the Networks’ Fund from resolutions such as AG/RES. 2986 (LII-O/22), that invites “member states to collaborate with the OAS Human Trafficking Knowledge Platform […] and to contribute to the Voluntary Contribution Fund of the Inter-American Network for the Prevention of Violence and Crime for the development of the second phase,” the total amount of contributions for the past 11 years has been has been very limited.

II. PRIORITY AREAS IDENTIFIED BY THE OAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SECURITY

FOR ENHANCING VIOLENCE AND CRIME PREVENTION IN THE REGION

(SUBJECT TO A V AILABLE FUNDING) AND UNFUNDED MANDATES The OAS Department of Public Security (DPS) has identified a set of priority areas to strengthen violence and crime prevention across the region. These priorities respond to emerging security challenges, the evolving dynamics of violence and crime, and the need to reinforce institutional and community resilience. Their implementation remains subject to the availability of financial resources, as several mandates currently lack dedicated funding:

A. Technology-facilitated violence towards children and adolescents.

Regarding the AG/RES. 3031 (LIV-O/24), that urges “member states to continue to develop prevention measures against violence and crimes committed through misuse of digital media and platforms”, AG/RES. 2925 (XLVIII-O/18) mandated promoting and guiding the safe use of the Internet by children and adolescents, and AG/RES. 2945 (XLIX-O/19) that calls for strengthening prevention and timely response to possible cybercrimes against children and adolescents using methodologies that recognize6and strengthen the capacity of minors to identify and alert the relevant authorities about risks and threats, as well as strategies to promote coordination between institutions and interdisciplinary approaches to mitigate these risks, the DPS has took a further step to incorporate a digital and cybersecurity education output for its future activities that includes media literacy and digital training for children and parents to promote safer and more responsible use of the internet; educational public system campaigns and the development of guidelines for the safe use of technology by children; workshops for parents and caregivers to help them recognize warning signs and effectively respond to online risks; and strengthening mechanisms for reporting cybercrime and online abuse, in coordination with national authorities and community partners. The intervention was designed and is awaiting funding.

B. Gang violence prevention in Haiti With respect of “preventing the recruitment and use of children and adolescents by criminal organizations” - mandate repeated in AG/RES. 2925(XLVIII-O/18) - and to most recent mandate

AG/RES. 3039 (LV-O/25) that calls for concrete actions to respond to the security and institutional crisis in Haiti : “To address the concerning involvement of children and adolescents in gangs by creating educational and socioeconomic opportunities, especially in marginalized areas,” the DPS developed a gang prevention intervention for Haiti, which was included within OAS’s Roadmap for Haiti and is awaiting funding. The proposed strategy is an adaptation of the OASIS Program to the current situation in the country. It focuses mainly on the prevention of gang recruitment of children and adolescents, and on providing alternatives to reintegration for former youth gang members. The DPS is in contact with former OASIS program consultants in Haiti, teachers and students who are already working in Delmas, Petionville and Croix-des-Bouquets, through their US based NGO, “Youth Beyond Resilience”. The three centers are currently offering music classes to around 200 beneficiaries. Classes are not held regularly and there are no complementary activities to attend to most of the pressing preventive needs of the youth, their families and their communities, or any activities designed specifically for the prevention of gang recruitment. The DPS worked together with Youth Beyond Resilience, studying the situation on the ground, in order to draft the intervention for implementation of the community-based activities. Actions will consider the specific characteristics of each community, the dangers associated with the particularly high concentration of gang activity in Croix-des-Bouquets, the extreme situation of the displaced families living in Delmas that have been forced to move from other parts of Port-au-Prince, and the high number of displaced children and youth that have moved to Petion-Ville together after the relocation of most schools in the capital. Activities at the national level will be drafted in collaboration with the Haitian authorities. It is important to clarify that all actions in this proposal will be re-evaluated before implementation due to the constantly changing landscape on the ground.

C. Prevention and reduction of homicide and femicide AG/RES. 2950 (L-O/20) requests the General Secretariat, through the DPS and in accordance with available financial resources, to continue to support member states in the implementation of projects7due to the constantly changing landscape on the ground.

C. Prevention and reduction of homicide and femicide AG/RES. 2950 (L-O/20) requests the General Secretariat, through the DPS and in accordance with available financial resources, to continue to support member states in the implementation of projects7for the prevention of violence and crime with priority given to those aimed at the prevention of homicidal violence, violence with the use of firearms, violence against population groups and subgroups in vulnerable situations to specific forms of violence, in particular those referred to in recommendation 2.7 of the Hemispheric Plan of Action to Guide the Development of Public Policies for the Prevention and Reduction of Intentional Homicide (document AG/doc.5667/19 rev. 1) 1 / .

Although the DPS has complied with the mandate through the OASIS Program and the recent regional training on the prevention of gender-based violence involving the use of firearms, further efforts are needed to effectively prevent and reduce homicide and femicide rates across the region. To fully comply with this mandate when funding becomes available, the DPS could implement some of these actions into a new project framework, and/or include some as additional interventions under the OASIS Program:  Assist governments update their national policies and legislation on homicide and femicide, develop standardized femicide risk assessment protocols, and improve early warning systems and rapid response mechanisms for women reporting death threats -involving immediate interagency coordination among police, prosecutors’ offices, and shelter services.  Develop public campaigns aimed at raising awareness regarding certain normalized genderbased violence behaviors (rejecting machismo and coercive control behaviors while promoting healthy masculinities)  Develop economic empowerment initiatives for at-risk women, including job-readiness training and partnerships with the private sector to facilitate employment opportunities.  Aid governments in reinforcing their institutional responses to homicide and femicide through:  the establishment of high-risk case management units,  the implementation of mandatory cognitive-behavioral therapy programs for domestic violence offenders and men subject to restraining orders  the expansion of shelters and safe houses to ensure adequate protection and support for women and girls at risk.

through:  the establishment of high-risk case management units,  the implementation of mandatory cognitive-behavioral therapy programs for domestic violence offenders and men subject to restraining orders  the expansion of shelters and safe houses to ensure adequate protection and support for women and girls at risk.

D. Artificial intelligence as a violence prevention tool The DPS currently does not have a formal mandate to explore the use of artificial intelligence (AI) as

1 . OAS, 2019. Hemispheric Plan of Action to Guide the Design of Public Policies to Prevent and Reduce Intentional Homicides. “Identify population groups and subgroups that are vulnerable to specific forms of violence, such as violence targeting the LGTBI community, people of African descent, indigenous people, and women, without exceptions for any group or subgroup and different types of intentional homicide, such as femicide, and assess risk levels; provide comprehensive assistance and protection services, according to the established risk levels; issue early warning alerts and response to threats received and reported by members of the aforementioned groups and subgroups, based on standardized protocols.”- 8a tool for crime and violence prevention. Advancements in AI have demonstrated significant potential to enhance public safety by providing innovative approaches to predict, detect, and respond to threats, while also presenting important ethical and operational considerations. AI-powered data analytics can integrate and analyze information from police records, social media, and public surveillance to identify crime patterns, hotspots of gang activity, and risk factors for domestic violence and femicide. Predictive algorithms can support law enforcement and social service agencies in allocating resources efficiently, anticipating high-risk situations, and implementing timely interventions to prevent harm. Furthermore, AI-driven technologies can strengthen victim protection by monitoring online environments for cyberbullying, grooming, and trafficking in persons, flagging suspicious activity, and supporting early warning and rapid response systems.

Recognizing the sensitivity of deploying AI in these contexts, it is essential that its application be guided by principles of transparency, accountability, and strict adherence to ethical standards, avoiding bias, discrimination, or infringements on privacy. Close collaboration among governments, technology companies, civil society, and academic institutions is critical to ensure AI solutions are inclusive, equitable, and contextually appropriate. Responsibly applied, AI can serve as a valuable complement to traditional crime prevention strategies, enhancing public safety, protecting vulnerable populations, and informing evidence-based policy in the Americas.