Regional Partnership For Decentralization and Local Governance In the Americas

ICMA has worked with key institutions in the region to promote this objective and engage in outreach. A Toolkit for municipalities was developed to promote the creation of municipal-led mechanisms to provide leadership in bringing together key stakeholders to design and implement crime and violence prevention programs. ICMA has facilitated the participation of experts in national, regional, and international conferences and conducted workshops for municipal associations and municipal stakeholders. A website (www.amuprev.org) was developed to showcase daily examples of municipalities throughout Latin America that are taking the initiative to develop programs that are building the foundation for crime prevention in their communities. Additionally, ICMA has documented via video the experiences of 8 municipalities in Central America that have demonstrated a commitment to crime prevention through the leadership of their elected officials, the dedication of their police forces, and the collaboration of representatives from all sectors of civil society, as well as national government agencies. To accomplish the second objective, ICMA has engaged in a series of municipal partnerships with cities in the US to share the model of community-oriented policing and governance with municipalities in El Salvador and Panama. Through these partnerships, police officers, municipal staff, community, and private sector representatives from Santa Ana, California; Arlington, Texas, and Pinellas County, Florida, have provided information, training, and technical assistance to their counterparts to bring about a greater awareness of the need to prioritize and act upon violence and crime prevention programs in a coordinated and comprehensive fashion. The lessons learned and knowledge gained from the municipal partnerships have been shared with the broader network through the AMUPREV website. During the period of October to December 2014, ICMA conducted a series of trips to Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Brazil to provide technical assistance, coordinate activities, and participate in international workshops and conferences. These trips included exchanges with municipal officials, police officers, and community representatives to learn about municipal level crime and violence prevention and community policing strategies. ICMA also provided technical assistance to Municipal Crime and Violence Prevention Committees in Guatemala and El Salvador, and strengthened the Municipal Association Network for Violence Prevention in Central America and the Dominican Republic. The AMUPREV website continues to be updated daily with news and articles related to municipal-based violence prevention. Quarterly bulletins are prepared, posted on the website and on Facebook, and sent by email to more than 1,000 subscribers. ICMA has also developed a sustainability plan to maintain the network after the project ends. The program has made significant progress in promoting comprehensive municipal-based violence prevention strategies and programs with key Central American stakeholders and fostering development of regional peer knowledge networks.