Webinar on parliamentary action to control small arms and light weapons

Disarmament that saves lives

Policies and parliamentary actions to combat the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons.

The fourth international parliamentary event in follow-up to the publication of Assuring our Common Future, a parliamentary guide on disarmament for security and sustainable development.

Thursday, March 10, 2022 | Online event

Session 1 - Timed for Asia/Pacific:
10 March 2022 - 7:00 – 8:30 CET. Event in English
Registration. Program

Session 2 - Timed for the Americas/Europe/Africa:
10 March 2022 - 16.30 – 18:00 CET. Simultaneous interpretation in English/French/Spanish. 
Registration. Program

Event concept note: (English, French).

Event outline

Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) cause over 223,000 casualties yearly, three quarters of whom die in a non-conflict setting. In addition, uncontrolled SALW proliferation increases insecurity in impacted regions and has a rippling effect on every sector of society - including an estimated economic cost of violence in society of $14 trillion per year (UNODA, 2020; IEP, 2021).

SALW have been the subject of multiple Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) resolutions, calling on parliaments to actively engage in efforts to combat their proliferation and misuse. IPU, PNND and our partners are committed to assisting parliamentarians to take meaningful steps towards ridding their societies of uncontrolled flows of weapons and their misuse.
 
In light of the contemporary challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, military budgets increasing to historical heights, and growing tensions around the world - preventing and reducing SALW-related violence is more important than ever. Parliamentarians have a core responsibility towards their constituents’ security, there is a plethora of good practices, policies, demands, and treaties that can be used by parliamentarians to reduce the impact that uncontrolled arms flows have on society.

The establishment of effective legislative frameworks to implement international commitments at national level, the voluntary participation in transparent networks of information sharing, as well as budget setting and efficient oversight of the broad security sector are few examples of how parliamentarians can become regional champions for the fight against armed violence. These points of action will be explored in greater depth in this webinar.

Leaning on recommendations from the small arms and light weapons chapter of the joint publication Assuring our Common Future, this webinar will further highlight the role, opportunities and challenges that parliamentarians have to combat the uncontrolled proliferation of SALW.

Program

Session 1:

Moderator: Karin Olofsson, Secretary-General, Parliamentary Forum on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PFSALW)

Speakers:

  • Hon Aquilino Martin de la Llana Pimentel III, Senator of the Philippines;
  • Hon. Vincent de Paul Emah Etoundi, Member of the Cameroon Parliament;
  • Mr Philip Alpers, Program Director, Centre for Armed Violence Reduction, Australia
  • Ms Elli Kytomaki, Associate Research Fellow, United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific.

Session 2:

Moderator: Hon. Daisy Tourné, President of PFSALW, former MP from Uruguay and former Minister of Interior.

Speakers:

  • Hon. Lawrence Biyika Songa, MP from Uganda and member of PFSALW;
  • Hon Jean-Victor Ndouma Mbadinga, Senator of Gabon;
  • Ms Pia Devoto, Director of the Asociación Para Política Públicas;
  • Mr. Dan Plesh, Professor of Diplomacy and Strategy at SOAS University of London

Event Objectives

1.    Increase awareness of uncontrolled small arms and light weapons flows, and the negative impacts they sustain in societies.
2.    Highlight good parliamentary practices relating to the eradication of uncontrolled arms flows and reduction of military spending.
3.    Showcase the efforts of the IPU and the PFSALW on assisting parliamentarians with tools and guidance to address various stages of uncontrolled SALW proliferation.

Participants

The event is designed for legislators/parliamentarians, legislative assistants and representaives of parliamentary organizations, but is also open for participation by experts, officials and civil society representatives.

Cosponsors

Webinar co-organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Parliamentary Forum on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PFSALW), Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (PNND), Geneva Centre for Security Policy and World Future Council.

Previous events in the series