This will be the second in a series of parliamentary meetings to discuss the UN Secretary-General’s Disarmament Agenda and the role of parliamentarians to advance this, working in cooperation with governments, the UN and civil society.
The event was originally planned to be held in conjunction with the 142nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). However, the IPU Assembly was postponed until October and this event was changed into a video conference due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The meeting will consider the draft of a parliamentary handbook entitled ‘Assuring our Common Future: A Guide to Parliamentary Action in support of Disarmament for Security and Sustainable Development.’
Feedback from the roundtable will assist in editing the draft handbook in order for it to be finalized, published and launched in October 2020 at a parliamentary event in conjunction with the 142nd IPU Asembly. A follow-up public launch is planned for UN Disarmament Week 2020.
Background:
In 2018, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres released Securing our Common Future: A Disarmament Agenda, which outlines a set of practical measures across the entire range of disarmament issues, including weapons of mass destruction, conventional arms and future weapon technologies. The agenda highlights the importance of partnerships between governments, experts and civil society in order to ensure the effective implementation and sustainability of disarmament policies and initiatives.
Parliaments and parliamentarians are vital stakeholders and important partners. They have responsibilities to ratify disarmament agreements & adopt national implementation measures, allocate budgets to support disarmament, monitor government’s implementation of disarmament obligations, highlight and replicate exemplary policy and practice, and build cooperation between legislators and parliaments regionally and globally.
This consultation will bring together parliamentarians working on different aspects of disarmament to discuss parliamentary action to advance the UN disarmament agenda, and to provide feedback for the draft of a parliamentary handbook entitled ‘Assuring our Common Future: A Guide to Parliamentary Action in support of Disarmament for Sustainable Development.’
The consultation will provide an opportunity for parliamentarians to provide examples of effective policies and parliamentary actions on disarmament relating to the four main themes in the UN Disarmament Agenda: Disarmament to save humanity, Disarmament that saves lives, Disarmament for future generations and Disarmament for Sustainable Development.
In addition, it will provide an opportunity for parliamentarians to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on disarmament and security policy, and its relationship to the UN Disarmament Agenda.
Program and registration:
Session 1: July 1. 9:00 – 11:00 Central Europe Time
Timed to suit parliamentarians from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific/Oceania
- Opening comments
- Introduction to the draft handbook
- Comments by participants
Session 2: July 1. 11:00 – 13:00 Eastern Daylight Time. (17:00-19:00 Central European Time)
Timed to suit participants from the Americas, Africa and Europe
- Opening comments
- Introduction to the draft handbook
- Comments by participants
For more information and to register contact info@pnnd.org
Working draft of the handbook: English, French.
Organised by: Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Parliamentarians for Global Action, Parliamentary Forum on Small Arms and Light Weapons, Geneva Centre for Security Policy and World Future Council. Supported by the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs.
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