OEA - CP - Resolución CP CSH 2393

PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE OEA/Ser.G

ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES CP/CSH-2393/26 14 April 2026

COMMITTEE ON HEMISPHERIC SECURITY Original: English

CONCEPT NOTE

PROMOTION OF HEMISPHERIC COOPERATION FOR ADDRESSING CRIMINAL GANGS:

TOWARDS A COMPREHENSIVE AND COORDINATED RESPONSE IN THE AMERICAS

(Presented in preparation of the Committee meeting scheduled for April 23, 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

BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION ....1

PURPOSE ....3

GUIDING QUESTIONS FOR MEMBER STATES’ DELEGATIONS ....3

GUIDING QUESTIONS FOR PERMANENT OBSERVERS’ DELEGATIONS ....4BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION Criminal gangs constitute one of the most visible manifestations of violence across several Member States of the Americas. This phenomenon is complex, dynamic, and multidimensional, driven by a combination of structural, social, economic, and institutional factors. Gang-related violence is often closely linked to broader forms of organized crime, including illicit trafficking in arms, drugs, and persons, as well as cyber-enabled criminal activities. Increasingly, criminal gangs operate through adaptive structures, often coordinating with transnational criminal networks. The expansion of gang territorial control poses significant risks to public security, democratic governance, and the rule of law. In some contexts, gangs exert de facto control over communities, restricting freedom of movement, extorting local populations, and contributing to forced displacement. Serious human rights violations—including violations of the right to life and personal integrity, sexual violence, and recruitment of children and adolescents—have been associated with gang activity. The proliferation and illicit use of firearms further exacerbates levels of violence, increasing lethality and

undermining citizen security. The drivers of gang violence are deeply rooted in structural inequalities and social exclusion. Factors such as poverty, unemployment, lack of access to education and healthcare, discrimination, weak social cohesion, and limited opportunities for youth increase vulnerability to gang recruitment. The growing use of digital platforms has also facilitated new forms of recruitment, coordination, and criminal activity, including online exploitation and cyber-enabled offenses. These dynamics highlight the need for preventive approaches that address root causes, strengthen community resilience, and promote inclusive development. At the same time, beyond the response of law enforcement and, in some cases, military forces, efforts to address gang-related violence often involve a range of additional actors, including private security providers and, in certain contexts, community-based self-protection initiatives. While these actors may emerge in response to perceived security gaps, their involvement raises significant concerns, including the risk of human rights violations, lack of accountability, and further fragmentation of security provision. This underscores the importance of strengthening State institutions and ensuring that responses to gang violence are grounded in the rule of law, respect for human rights, and effective oversight mechanisms. Considering the increase in violence associated with criminal gangs, including crimes involving firearms, strengthened cooperation among Member States is crucial. Addressing this phenomenon requires a comprehensive and coordinated approach that integrates prevention, law enforcement, rehabilitation and reintegration, and victim assistance, while fostering collaboration at the national, regional, and international levels. Despite important efforts at the national level, responses to gang-related violence often remain fragmented and reactive. Institutional coordination across the criminal justice chain—police, judiciary, and penitentiary systems—remains uneven, while cross-border cooperation is frequently insufficient to address the transnational dimensions of gang activity. Differences in legal frameworks, operational capacities, and conceptual approaches may also create gaps that are exploited by criminal gangs. Notwithstanding these challenges, important opportunities exist to strengthen responses to criminal2gangs. Strengthening the capacities of both law enforcement and judicial institutions is essential to effectively understand and address gang-related crime. This includes providing specialized training as well as ensuring access to adequate equipment and tools. Enhancing these capacities enables more effective, targeted, and rights-based responses.

gangs. Strengthening the capacities of both law enforcement and judicial institutions is essential to effectively understand and address gang-related crime. This includes providing specialized training as well as ensuring access to adequate equipment and tools. Enhancing these capacities enables more effective, targeted, and rights-based responses. Advances in data collection, intelligence-led policing, and the use of new technologies can support more effective prevention, investigation, and prosecution of gang-related crimes. However, the use of such tools must be accompanied by appropriate safeguards to ensure respect for human rights, privacy, and due process. Strengthening evidence-based policymaking, including through the systematic collection and analysis of disaggregated data, can improve the design, targeting, and evaluation of interventions. At the same time, promoting peer-to-peer exchange of experiences, technical cooperation, and the sharing of good practices can enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of national strategies. The relationship between criminal gangs and penitentiary systems also represents a critical dimension of this challenge. In several contexts, detention facilities have been used by gang members to maintain, strengthen, or expand their organizational structures and criminal activities. Factors such as overcrowding, limited classification systems, and insufficient institutional control may facilitate the consolidation of gang influence within prisons. This underscores the importance of strengthening penitentiary management, improving risk assessment and classification mechanisms, and reinforcing rehabilitation and reintegration efforts to prevent the perpetuation of gang dynamics within and beyond correctional settings. In this context, hemispheric cooperation emerges as a critical enabler of more effective responses to criminal gangs. Enhanced coordination among Member States can support information-sharing, joint operations, mutual legal assistance, and the development of common frameworks and standards. Multisectoral approaches that engage civil society, communities, academia, and the private sector are also essential to address the root causes and long-term impacts of gang violence.

The Organization of American States (OAS), through the Secretariat for Multidimensional Security and the Department of Public Security (DPS), supports Member States in strengthening institutional capacities to prevent and combat gang-related violence. This includes strengthening the capacities of police institutions to effectively address gang-related crime through specialized training, the provision of adequate equipment, and the enhancement of operational infrastructure; promoting comprehensive approaches across prevention, law enforcement, rehabilitation and reintegration, and victim assistance; and facilitating regional dialogue and cooperation. In June 2024, the General Assembly, in paragraph 53 of resolution AG/RES. 3031 (LIV-O/24), “Advancing Hemispheric Security: A Multidimensional Approach,” requested that the Committee on Hemispheric Security (CSH), with the support of the SMS, undertake a review and update of the Regional Strategy to Promote Hemispheric Cooperation in Dealing with Criminal Gangs (CP/CSH1229/10) and its annexes. In response, the Working Group on Criminal Gangs was established and carried out a comprehensive review and update of the strategy. In April 2025, the Working Group agreed to the proposed “2025 Regional Strategy to Promote Inter-American Cooperation in Response to Criminal Gangs” in its entirety and submitted it for consideration by the CSH, with a view to its3subsequent referral to the Permanent Council. This updated strategy provides a renewed framework for coordinated, hemispheric action against criminal gangs, emphasizing cooperation, prevention, rehabilitation, law enforcement, and victim assistance. The Committee on Hemispheric Security provides a valuable platform to exchange experiences, identify common priorities, and advance cooperation to address criminal gangs in a comprehensive and coordinated manner. PURPOSE Promote dialogue within the Committee on Hemispheric Security to identify strategic priorities for strengthening hemispheric cooperation in addressing criminal gangs through a comprehensive,

multidimensional, and coordinated approach. The meeting will provide a platform for Member States to exchange experiences, assess challenges, and identify effective practices to prevent and respond to gang-related violence while ensuring respect for human rights and the rule of law. In particular, the meeting aims to identify concrete initiatives for enhanced cooperation, including: (i) strengthening mechanisms for information-sharing and operational coordination; (ii) promoting integrated approaches that combine prevention, law enforcement, rehabilitation and reintegration, and victim assistance; (iii) identifying priority areas for technical assistance, capacity-building, and institutional strengthening; and (iv) fostering alignment of legal and policy frameworks to address the evolving nature of criminal gangs. Ultimately, the dialogue will contribute to the development of a shared hemispheric approach that enhances institutional effectiveness, reduces violence, strengthens social cohesion, and improves the security and well-being of communities across the Americas. GUIDING QUESTIONS FOR MEMBER STATES’ DELEGATIONS OAS Member States’ delegations are invited to deliver a 90-second intervention, guided by one or more suggested trigger questions:  How is your country addressing the phenomenon of criminal gangs through integrated strategies that combine prevention, law enforcement, rehabilitation, and reintegration?  What measures have been adopted to strengthen coordination among police, judiciary, and penitentiary institutions in responding to gang-related violence?  In what areas would your country benefit most from enhanced regional or international cooperation to address criminal gangs?  What good practices or lessons learned could your country share regarding the prevention of gang recruitment, particularly among children and youth?  How is your country leveraging data, technology, and intelligence to prevent and combat gangrelated activities?- 4 -  What strategies have been implemented to address the root causes of gang involvement, including social exclusion, inequality, and lack of opportunities?  How is your country strengthening rehabilitation, reintegration, and exit pathways for

individuals seeking to leave gangs? GUIDING QUESTIONS FOR PERMANENT OBSERVERS’ DELEGATIONS Permanent Observers to the OAS are invited to deliver a 90-second intervention, guided by one or more suggested trigger questions:  Has your country or organization supported initiatives to prevent or respond to criminal gangs in the Americas, and in what capacity?  What good practices, policy innovations, or lessons learned from your country or organization could contribute to strengthening responses to gang-related violence?  How can international cooperation mechanisms be enhanced to address the transnational dimensions of criminal gangs?  In your view, which areas would benefit most from increased technical assistance, funding, or coordinated international support?