OEA - Resolución CP CSH SA 415 de 2026

PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE OEA/Ser.G

ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES CP/CSH/SA.415/26 17 June 2026

COMMITTEE ON HEMISPHERIC SECURITY Original: Spanish

Summary of the meeting held on June 9, 20261/

Annual meeting to consider the security concerns of member states of the Central American Integration System (SICA)

Life-Cycle Management and Traceability of Arms and Ammunition: Information Exchange and Regional Cooperation to Prevent Diversion

Time: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Place: Simón Bolívar Room

The regular meeting of the Committee was presided over by its chair, Ambassador Ana Irene Delgado, Permanent Representative of Panama to the OAS.

A quorum was established with the presence of representatives of Argentina, the Bahamas, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Saint Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago.

The audio recording of the meeting can be found at the following link: https://scm.oas.org/audios/2026/CSH_06-09-2026-am.mp3

Pursuant to the provisions of Article 43 of the Rules of Procedure of the Permanent Council, the Committee adopted the order of business, document CP/CSH-2404/26 rev. 1.

The concept note for the meeting was published as document CP/CSH-2400/26 corr. 1.

1. Opening session

The Chair of the Committee on Hemispheric Security, Ambassador Ana Irene Delgado, Permanent Representative of Panama to the OAS , welcomed the participants and spoke about the importance of the matter under consideration. On behalf of the Committee he also thanked the experts for their willingness to share their experience and knowledge on such an important topic. The remarks of the chair can be accessed here (available only in Spanish).

Permanent Representative of Panama to the OAS , welcomed the participants and spoke about the importance of the matter under consideration. On behalf of the Committee he also thanked the experts for their willingness to share their experience and knowledge on such an important topic. The remarks of the chair can be accessed here (available only in Spanish).

Next, Ambassador Mayerlyn Cordero, Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic to the OAS, the incumbent Chair pro tempore of SICA, addressed the Committee and, among other points, emphasized that the illicit trafficking in arms and ammunition posed one of the main threats to security and development in the region. She also stressed the need to strengthen regional cooperation,

1. The statements submitted by the delegations are linked in this document in their original language.- 2information sharing, and the traceability of arms and ammunition in order to prevent their diversion to criminal activities. The remarks of Ambassador Cordero are available (only in Spanish) here.

Mr. Steven Griner, Director of the Department of Public Security, then addressed the matter under consideration.

2. Thematic panel discussions

The Committee received the following presentations for Panel Discussion 1, “Harmonization of records and information exchange: interconnectivity of national databases, standardization of protocols, and protection of sensitive information”:

• Presentation by Mr. Manuel Martinez, Senior Political Affairs Officer, UNODA (link) • Presentation by Mr. Reiner Vargas Vargas, Chief of Fingerprint Identification of Costa Rica (link) • Presentation by Colonel Orlando Erazo, Director of Logistics, Ministry of National

Defense of El Salvador (link)

It then received the following presentations for Panel Discussion 2, “Stockpile management, ammunition, and final disposal. Best practices in the registration, storage, auditing, custody, transport, deactivation, and destruction of firearms and ammunition”: • Presentation by Mr. Juan Herrera, Director of Public Security Affairs of Panama (link) • Presentation by Ms. Monserrat Alfaro Córdoba, Head of the National Arsenal Department of Costa Rica (link)

transport, deactivation, and destruction of firearms and ammunition”: • Presentation by Mr. Juan Herrera, Director of Public Security Affairs of Panama (link) • Presentation by Ms. Monserrat Alfaro Córdoba, Head of the National Arsenal Department of Costa Rica (link) • Presentation by Lieutenant Colonel Cristian Sael Mayorga, Military Intelligence (DEM), Honduras • Presentation by Colonel Amaury Guerrero, ERD, Ministry of Defense of the Dominican Republic

The President thanked the panelists for their willingness to share their experiences and insights with the Committee on this important matter.

3. Comments and dialogue with member states

The delegations of Argentina, Belize, Chile, Guatemala, Mexico, and Panama addressed the matter under consideration. The Committee then took note of the presentations and of the comments made by the delegations.

4. Closing session

4.1. Conclusions by Ms. Pier Angelli De Luca, Chief of the Conventional Arms, Ammunition and Explosives Section, OAS Department of Public Security

Ms. Pier Angelli De Luca, Chief of the Conventional Arms, Ammunition and Explosives Section of the Department of Public Security, presented the conclusions of the meeting, which included a series of general and specific observations:- 3General comments

• During the meeting, participants recognized the importance of combating illicit trafficking in firearms and ammunition as an essential step toward weakening organized crime and reducing violence in the region. • Also highlighted was the key role of stockpile management, traceability, and regional cooperation strategies, particularly the Central America and Dominican Republic Roadmap to Prevent Illicit Trafficking and Proliferation of Firearms, Ammunition, and Expl osives, as key tools for strengthening national efforts.

Specific comments

Combating illicit trafficking in firearms and ammunition as a central challenge to regional security in Central America and a factor facilitating organized crime

• It was reaffirmed that illicit flows of firearms and ammunition continue to be a key driver of violence in Central America. Several speakers agreed that ammunition was the “fuel” of

Combating illicit trafficking in firearms and ammunition as a central challenge to regional security in Central America and a factor facilitating organized crime

• It was reaffirmed that illicit flows of firearms and ammunition continue to be a key driver of violence in Central America. Several speakers agreed that ammunition was the “fuel” of criminal violence and stressed the importance of joining forces to improve its traceability and prevent its diversion into illicit markets. • It was emphasized that the regulatory and technical frameworks needed to combat illicit trafficking in firearms and ammunition were already in place; the key challenge lay in their effective implementation by closing the gap between regulations and practic e. In that regard, the following priorities were highlighted: • Strengthening marking requirements, including by drawing on the national experiences of the Dominican Republic and Brazil with respect to ammunition. • Addressing weaknesses in oversight of the legal market as a source of diversion to organized crime. • Adopting a preventive approach that went beyond reacting to weapons already used in crimes by identifying diversion risks in advance.

Traceability as a key tool for preventing diversion and dismantling criminal networks

• It was emphasized that effective traceability of firearms and ammunition is a key tool for anticipating, detecting, and disrupting illicit trafficking. From a prevention perspective, it enables identification of risks in legal markets, such as inventory di screpancies or unusual transfers; the detection of suspicious patterns; and the generation of early warnings of potential irregularities. In criminal investigations, it facilitates tracing the movement of firearms and ammunition, linking cases across juris dictions, and mapping trafficking routes and networks, thereby helping to establish responsibility and strengthen judicial processes. In this way, traceability goes beyond a purely technical function and has become a strategic tool for dismantling organized crime networks.

• A critical challenge identified was the fragmentation of information systems, which limits their operational effectiveness. Persistent obstacles include: o Scattered and non-integrated records; o Limited access to international databases; and o A lack of standardized procedures for inquiries and information sharing.- 4 -

• A critical challenge identified was the fragmentation of information systems, which limits their operational effectiveness. Persistent obstacles include: o Scattered and non-integrated records; o Limited access to international databases; and o A lack of standardized procedures for inquiries and information sharing.- 4 - • The need to move toward the following was also recognized: o Interoperable, modern, and secure systems capable of integrating multiple databases while ensuring data protection through appropriate security standards; o Harmonization of standards, taxonomies, and protocols for information exchange; o The use of technologies and platforms to strengthen tracing capabilities; and o Agile coordination mechanisms among the competent authorities, together institutional confidence building.

• Ms. De Luca also highlighted the technological tools developed by the OAS for inventory management and monitoring of import and export processes, which are available to member states with technical assistance from the OAS.

Stockpile management

• To prevent diversion from national stockpiles to the illicit market, the need to strengthen national capacities in accordance with international standards such as MOSAIC, IATG, and the CIFTA Stockpile Management Manual was emphasized, with priority given t o the following actions: o Digitization and integration of firearms and ammunition inventory records; o Periodic audits of state -owned stockpiles and strict oversight of the private security sector; o Standardized storage, transfer, and destruction of procedures; and o Timely, safe, and permanent destruction of surplus, obsolete, or seized firearms and ammunition, thereby reducing the risk of diversion. • These measures are essential to reducing points of diversion and limiting opportunities for firearms and ammunition to enter the illicit market.

Regional coordination • Given that illicit trafficking in firearms and ammunition is a transnational and multidimensional challenge, the strategic value of international frameworks as normative pillars guiding coordinated national and regional efforts was highlighted, including: o CIFTA; o the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PoA); o the International Tracing Instrument (ITI); and

multidimensional challenge, the strategic value of international frameworks as normative pillars guiding coordinated national and regional efforts was highlighted, including: o CIFTA; o the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PoA); o the International Tracing Instrument (ITI); and o the Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management. • In this context, the Roadmap for Central America and the Dominican Republic has emerged as the principal instrument for translating these global commitments into concrete action at the subregional level. The Roadmap establishes priority actions to improve traceability and stockpile management, facilitate the exchange of information, and strengthen the effectiveness of coordination and international cooperation.

• The vital role of international cooperation in strengthening national capacities was highlighted.

At the conclusion of her remarks, Ms. De Luca highlighted the contribution of the PACAM program of the OAS, which in recent years had trained more than 1,200 officials, improved the security and management of stockpiles in six countries in the region, and supported and certified the destruction of more than 34,800 firearms and 253 tons of obsolete, seized, or surplus ammunition. This included a recently completed operation in Belize, carried out in collaboration with the Belize Defence Force and5in coordination with the Belize Police Department and the Belize Coast Guard, which resulted in the destruction of more than 20 metric tons of ammunition.

She further noted that ensuring the Roadmap’s sustained impact would require continued political and financial commitment. In that regard, member states, observers, and strategic partners were encouraged to maintain and strengthen their technical and finan cial support for its implementation, particularly for its governance mechanism, which served as a key forum for regional coordination and cooperation.

In conclusion, she noted that the meeting had led to a shared understanding of the importance of strengthening the capacities of the Central American states to prevent and combat illicit trafficking in firearms and ammunition as an integral part of broader efforts to address organized crime in the region. In that context, tools such as traceability, secure stockpile management, and regional

of strengthening the capacities of the Central American states to prevent and combat illicit trafficking in firearms and ammunition as an integral part of broader efforts to address organized crime in the region. In that context, tools such as traceability, secure stockpile management, and regional cooperation had emerged as key elements for achieving sustainable and effective progress. She added that there was a robust framework of international instruments, technical tools, and a regional roadmap that provided a firm foundation for guiding these efforts. Going forward, the expected challenge was to continue advancing their implementation in a progressive and coord inated manner, while adapting them to the realities of the SICA member states.

4.2. Closing remarks by the Chair of the Committee on Hemispheric Security, Ambassador Ana Irene Delgado, Permanent Representative of Panama to the OAS

In her closing remarks, the Chair emphasized, among other points, that the presentations and exchange of experiences had underscored the importance of comprehensively addressing the life-cycle management and traceability of firearms and ammunition by combi ning strengthening of national capacities with more effective regional cooperation. She also noted that preventing the diversion of weapons and ammunition required strengthening registration and traceability systems, interoperability and the secure exchange of information, sound stockpile management, periodic audits and inventories, and the safe disposal of surplus or obsolete firearms and ammunition. The remarks of the chair can be accessed here (available only in Spanish).