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| African civil society in fresh effort to eradicate small arms
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Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) -
A cross-section of the African civil society, int
ernational humanitarian organisations, the African Union (AU) and the UN are to
c
onvene an international meeting to discuss the possibility of having a new treat
y
aimed at boosting the fight against small arms and light weapons, organisers sa
i
d here Wednesday.
The UN Centre for Peace and Disarmament for Africa (UNREC), British charity, Oxf
am International, and the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA), ar
e
hosting a regional workshop on the Arms Trade Treaty from 5-7 December in Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia, to explore the possibility of having a new anti-arms treaty.
AU's conflict expert, El Gashim Wane, from the AU's Peace and Security Departmen
t, will officially open the workshop.
The workshop brings together more than 40 civil society organisations (CSO) from
Africa and across the globe to develop strategies to enable states and NGOs in
t
he region to contribute to achieving a robust global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) in
2
012.
In October 2009, the United Nations adopted a resolution committing all states t
o start negotiations on an ATT.
"The proposed treaty would be especially relevant to Africa, as the continent ex
periences high levels of armed violence," a statement by Oxfam International sai
d
on Wednesday.
"It is estimated that, in addition to unspeakable human suffering, wars, civil w
ars and insurgencies cost Africa US$ 18 billion every year."
On average, armed conflict shrinks an African nationâ?s economy by 15 per cent
(â?Africaâ?s Missing Billionsâ?; 2007).
Evidence also suggests that at least 95 per cent of Africaâ?s most commonly use
d conflict weapons come from outside the continent.
The most common weapon is the Kalashnikov assault rifle, the most well known typ
e being the AK-47, almost none of which are made in Africa.
Africa has a significant stake in the development of an effective ATT.
The African civil societies are calling for a robust treaty that would prohibit
arms transfer if they are likely to be used to commit serious violations of inte
r
national humanitarian law; commit serious violations of international human righ
t
s law and to undermine sustainable development.
"Such a treaty would not prevent the responsible transfer of weapons for defence
, policing, peacekeeping, and other legitimate purposes," Oxfam explained.
The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the African Union Conflict management
division, Ambassadors of Kenyan, Ugandan, Senegal and Nigeria, will be in atten
d
ance, along with representatives from some of the co-authors of the UN resolutio
n
.
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| Addis Ababa - 02/12/2009 |
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