Documents in view of the Arms Trade Treaty
PrepCom 11-15 July

From 11-15 July 2011, delegations from all UN Member States will meet at the UN Headquarters in New York to participate in the third Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) Preparatory Committee (PrepCom). The focus of this meeting will be implementation mechanisms of the ATT including procedures for transparency. It is likely that States will also further discuss scope and parameters of an ATT.

IANSA considers crucial that small arms and light weapons, and ammunition are included in the scope of an Arms Trade Treaty, and that states report openly and comprehensively when submitting data on their transfers of small arms and light weapons and ammunition.

Amnesty International has produced two briefing papers to support your work on the upcoming ATT PrepCom. The first, ‘Our Right to Know: Transparent Reporting Under an ATT’ focuses on why states should transparently report on their international arms trade and transfers and outlines how a reporting mechanism could be reported into the ATT. The second, an illustrated briefing ‘Arms for Repression: Will they be covered by an ATT’, includes AI’s proposal for the inclusion of the scope of equipment into an ATT including an indicative list of the conventional arms and a summary definition.

 The briefing papers are available for download in different languages.

  http://www.iansa.org/resource/2011/06/amnesty-briefing-papers-scope-and-transparency

SIPRI Yearbook for 2011

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Yearbook for 2011 is now out. The publication outlines developments in the field of armaments, disarmament and international security, including on military expenditure, arms production and international arms transfers. It also includes an examination of trends in reporting mechanisms, and states’ views on establishing a category for reporting international transfers of small arms and light weapons in the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms.

You can download the summary at: http://www.sipri.org/yearbook/2011/files/SIPRIYB11summary.pdf

New report on Spanish arms exports

A new report on Spanish arms exports has been released by Peace Studies Centre Delàs in Spain. It outlines the main trends in Spanish exports of arms and dual-use material in the time period 2008-2009. It highlights the most significant changes in the Spanish trade and the government’s policies on exports in this field.

http://www.centredelas.org/attachments/677_informe8_eng.pdf (english)

Germany arms exporting companies

The most recent newsletter from DAKS, a German alliance against small arms, includes a list of Germany’s arms exporting companies and information about a new campaign for reform of German arms export policies. The campaign is supported by a broad range of groups, including Pax Christi, IPPNW and the RüstungsInformationsBüro. It also celebrates that DAKS spokesman and activist Jürgen Grässlin has been awarded the Peace Price of Aachen 2011.

http://cts.vresp.com/c/?IANSA/637bdec11c/f031f96efe/d17fc44fb3  (in German only )

Training Parliamentarians on small arms

The Southern Sudan Action Network on Small Arms and IKV Pax Christi held a joint workshop for members of the state legislative assembly in Upper Nile State, Southern Sudan. The aim of the workshop was to raise awareness about on-going international, regional and national processes including the Arms Trade Treaty and the UN Programme of Action on small arms (UN PoA), as well as the regional strategy on disarmament of pastoral groups and the National Small Arms Policy for South Sudan. Participants also discussed the role of parliamentarians and civil society in small arms control. The Upper Nile Action Network on small Arms (UNANSA), Pax Christi and the University of Upper Nile presented the results of the survey "A hospital-based research on gun-related injuries and deaths in Upper Nile".

Sudan - Update on small arms control programme

The North Sudan DDR Commission (NSDDRC) has shared a brief giving an overview of their programme for small arms control in Sudan. It is estimated that around 1.5 million small arms are in circulation in the country, of which only about 40% are in the hands of government law enforcement agencies. The brief includes an update on the latest programme activities, including small arms marking and destruction.

Global Week of Action Against Gun Violence

Many Organizations fighting the proliferation of small arms all around the world celebrated the Global Week of Action Against Gun Violence 2011 (13 – 19 June). The aim of this week is to stop the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons. The proposed themes for the Week of Action this year were: The Arms Trade Treaty; 10 years of the Programme of Action; Survivors of Gun Violence. You can find the actions of the different IANSA groups and countries at

http://iansa.org/campaign/global-week-action-against-gun-violence

International Ecumenical Peace Convocation
and the arms

On 17-25 May, Florella Hazeley of the Sierra Leone Action Network on Small Arms (SLANSA) participated at the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC), organised by the World Council of Churches in Kingston, Jamaica. The conference celebrated the achievements of the ‘Decade to Overcome Violence’ which began in 2001, while prompting individuals and churches to renew their commitment to nonviolence, peace and justice. During the event, Florella was involved in activities for the 'Hands Together' campaign to raise awareness about the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) process amongst churches, and encourage them to get involved in promoting the ATT. The conference participants released a message expressing their commitment to "advocate total nuclear disarmament and control of the proliferation of small arms".

Video 'No women, no peace'

A new video for the 'No women, no peace' campaign has been launched by Gender Action for Peace and Security (GAPS UK), of which the IANSA Women's Network is a member. The video features Nounou Booto Meeti, IANSA's Africa Programme Officer and highlights the importance of women's participation in peace and reconciliation. Watch it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lATXVusFmGQ&feature=youtu.be  

Global Peace Index and availability of small arms

The 2011 Global Peace Index (GPI) ranks 153 nations according to their peacefulness, assessed by criteria that include the ease of access to, and availability of small arms and light weapons. The results are available online as a report along with interactive and informative maps of new data; the latest estimates on the economic value of peace; and new insights into the structure of peaceful nations.

http://www.visionofhumanity.org/info-center/global-peace-index-2011/