Completed project
Institutional Capacity Building for Crime Prevention in Central America through OBSICA
March 2012 to December 2014
$1,805,794 CAD
Source(s) of financing and amount(s): Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD): CAD $1,491,294 Other donors/In kind: CAD $314,500
Central American Integration System's General Secretariat (SG-SICA)
International Centre for the Prevention of Crime (ICPC) United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) International Organization for Migration (IOM) Sistema Regional de Indicadores Estandarizados de Convivencia y Seguridad Ciudadana (SES) del Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Prevención de la Violencia y Promoción de la Convivencia Social (CISALVA)
SICA General Secretariat
SICA's Democratic Security Division Governments of the eight SICA State members Representatives from public institutions and civil society organizations in Central America Over 50,000 readers and indirect project beneficiaries, through the infOBSICA Website and CECI’s and its partners’ Websites
A growing safety concern in the hemisphere, particularly in Central America and the Caribbean, is that of organized crime and its transnational impacts on migration, economic growth, good governance and human rights. This situation constitutes a threat not only to the region, but also to other countries in the Americas, such as Mexico, the United States and Canada. While urban crime, youth gangs, high murder rates, and gender-based violence are the most salient features of this problem, illicit drugs, corruption, impunity and human trafficking are also on the rise. This situation adversely affects national and regional development, and its economic costs, both direct and indirect, are enormous.
Faced with this situation, Central American governments and their partners in the North have implemented rule-of-law and information-sharing measures that have contributed to a better understanding of this highly complex issue. The Central American Observatory on Violence (OCAVI), founded in 2006 with support from CECI and Canada’s Human Security Program, and officially recognized by the Central American Integration System (SICA) and the Heads of State of Central America, is a good example of this progress. The SICA Observatory and Index on Democratic Security (OBSICA) is another example of a truly regional platform and tool.
The objective of the OBSICA project was to develop and strengthen the capacities of civil society organizations and SICA member states so they can produce, use and spread strategic information on regional security, criminality and violence prevention in Central America.
The project was first implemented in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua, then expanded to other SICA member states, including Belize, Costa Rica, Panama, and the Dominican Republic. Particular attention was paid to countries with the highest crime rates: El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Nicaragua, which has a much lower crime rate than its neighbouring countries, has led by example through its effective crime prevention policies.
Results:
- An OBSICA Operations Centre was created within the SICA General Secretariat (SG-SICA), recognized in Central America as a regional reference centre offering up-to-date data and analyses on the progression of criminality and on the best policies and practices for crime prevention;
- Data was updated and made available at all times on the OBSICA website (infOBSICA) and via several online software programs (e.g., OBSICAnet);
- Governments of OBSICA member states, regional public safety officers and civil society organizations found better ways to work together to prevent criminality through regional seminars and conferences;
- Governments and civil society organizations now have better access to in-depth analyses and recommendations on crime prevention published by OBSICA, including studies and recommendations on how to best prevent gender-based violence and youth violence.
Success / Recognition and Impact:
- OBSICA was developed by the Central American Security Commission as an official mechanism to monitor the Central American Security Strategy (ESCA). This designation gave the observatory the legitimacy it needed to work directly with member countries and to establish a regional framework for managing and processing information on criminality and violence;
- The Statistics Sub-Commission for the Central American Police Chiefs and Directors Commission (CJDP) and for the Mexican and Caribbean commissions recognized OBSICA as a useful platform for improving coordination and work carried out by government institutions in Central America that produce security-related statistics. OBSICA is also considered a tool for collecting, systematizing and standardizing information tied to security and produces data used during decision-making processes.