Significant Milestones Achieved under SALIENT Jamaica Initiative

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the lead implementation agency for the Reducing Small Arms and Light Weapons Joint Programme (SALIENT), is reporting significant achievements under the initiative in Jamaica.

Launched on June 17, 2022, SALIENT Jamaica was designed to reduce violence, curb the supply and proliferation of illicit firearms in the country, and address the root causes of crime.

It was led by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (ODA), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in collaboration with the Ministry of National Security, and the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information.

Jamaica was the first country to implement the SALIENT and one of eight participating nations.

Speaking during the official closing ceremony for the SALIENT Jamaica initiative on April 17 at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St. Andrew, UNDP Resident Representative, Kishan Khoday, highlighted the programme’s significant achievements.

He said the partnerships forged have strengthened the regulatory framework governing the supply of weapons and enhanced expert capacities to disrupt the illegal importation of firearms at the country’s ports of entry.

Mr. Khoday also highlighted the, “promising signs of behavioural change among students in select schools.”

He said the UNDP has assumed specific responsibility for supporting Jamaica’s preparations to ratify the ‘Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and Other Related Materials’ (CIFTA).

“To this end, Jamaica’s Gunpowder and Explosives Act, and the Explosives (Control of Manufacture) Act were reviewed, resulting in recommendations for a modern legislative framework,” Mr. Khoday informed.

He explained that these developments have advanced Jamaica’s progress toward ratification, marking a crucial step in modernising national regulations to align with global standards and strengthening the country’s capacity to intercept illegal weapons at every stage of the supply chain.

Mr. Khoday also encouraged careful reflection on the findings of two violence audits conducted in four high-risk communities, which provide key insights and evidence-based recommendations to address gaps that could create the conditions necessary for reducing violence.

He further commended the financial support of donor partner countries, including Finland, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden and Switzerland.

“Together, we have shown that integrated action and shared responsibility are the keys to sustainable peace. At UNDP, we remain deeply committed to continuing this work in partnership with all of you,” Mr. Khoday stated.