Strengthening Human Security and Resilience to Transnational Organized Crime in Coastal Communities​

Many coastal communities in Latin America and the Caribbean are experiencing an increase in violence and transnational organized crime, which is undermining the rule of law and threatening multiple dimensions of the human security of local populations. Located along major shipping routes for drugs, the coastal communities of the Dominican Republic are being exposed to armed violence, narcotics trafficking, and the corruption that results from the presence of organized criminal networks. Already facing limited socioeconomic opportunities, reduced fish stocks, strict fisheries regulations, and the possibility of easy profits from illicit activities, an increasing number of small to medium-scale fishers have turned toward or been coopted by criminal activity to support their livelihoods.

The programme seeks to promote the development of comprehensive strategies to strengthen human security in coastal and fishing communities affected by transnational organized crime on the southern coast of the Dominican Republic. Specifically, the programme aims to (i) promote whole-of-government dialogues based on a community-centered and comprehensive analysis of the human security situation in target coastal communities to develop strategies that prevent the impact of and reduce vulnerability to the multidimensional consequences of transnational organized crime, and (ii) elaborate integrated civilian-law enforcement responses to organized crime and promote sustainable fishing practices that emphasize both development and security in the country’s coastal communities.

KEY MATERIALS ​
Programme Summary
Presentation of the programme’s assessment during the High-level Dialogue event on 18 July 2024 (Spanish)
Presentation of the programme’s results during the High-level Dialogue event on 18 July 2024 (Spanish)