The Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT)

In response to the conclusion of the Conference on Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) on 27 July, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recently released a statement expressing disappointment that the Conference concluded its four-week-long session without agreement on treaty text.  However, he noted that States have established ‘considerable common ground’, which States can build on for future discussions. Click here to read the full statement.  

Check out the dedicated UN website on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) at http://www.un.org/disarmament/ATT/.

Submissions of National Reports on the Implementation of the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms
As the UN Review Conference on the UN Programme of Action is rapidly approaching, UNREC encourages Member States from Africa, if they have not already done so, to submit their national reports as soon as possible. To assist governments in their efforts, please see the reporting template and the link to the website.

Khartoum Declaration on Small Arms Across the Neighboring Countries of Western Sudan
On 23 May 2012, the Governments of the Republic of Sudan, Central African Republic, Republic of Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Republic of Libya agreed to several actions to control the illicit proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons within and across their countries. Among other items, they agreed to urgently develop and implement a coordinated arms control strategy and strengthen national institutions and capacities in controlling small arms. To see the full declaration, please click here.

Art for Peace 2012 International art contest for young people winners announced

A total of 12 young artists have been announced as winners in the United Nations Art for Peace contest, which ran from 1 February to 30 April and attracted 6,623 entries from 92 countries. UNREC encouraged young people particularly from Africa States to participate to the contest and gave certificates to participants from Togo. For more http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2012/dc3360.doc.htm. The winning artwork can be seen at http://www.unartforpeace.org

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15 April, 2012: Counter-Terrorism workshop- Dakar, Senegal.
At the request of the ECOWAS, UNREC participated in a workshop on counter-terrorism held in Dakar by providing training on border security to ECOWAS and Mauritanian security forces.

24-26 April, 2012: “Gender-Based violence and Small Arms in Africa seminar”- Johannesburg, South Africa.
UNDP and IANSA held a workshop to provide guidance for activities aimed at enhancing security and reducing levels of violence towards women in Africa. UNREC made a presentation on the Kinshasa Convention, chaired a working group session, and provided insights on key issues identified from discussions on: national policies on SALW; policies on Gender Based Violence (GBV) & gender mainstreaming; and, the harmonization of policies on SALW and those on GBV.

3-4 May, 2012: “Sub-Regional conference on the issues of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) and the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) Processes”- Kigali, Rwanda.
At the request of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Ministry of the Interior of the Government of the Republic of Rwanda, UNREC attended a conference that brought together experts in the field of arms control to discuss the implementation of various existing SALW instruments and the upcoming Arms Trade Treaty. UNREC gave a presentation on "Evidence from ECOWAS of innovative ways of dealing with issues related to SALW", which led to discussion on the differences between the East and West African approaches to small arms control. UNREC also gave a presentation on the "UN Preparatory Committee discussions" of the ATT.

14-18 May, 2012: 34th meeting of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa (UNSAC) – Bujumbura, Burundi.

UNREC provided information on the latest developments in the field of disarmament and arms control at the recent UNSAC meeting and was requested to provide assistance to States through ECCAS in fast-tracking the implementation of the Sao Tomé Initiative.

17-18 May 2012 UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Ms. Angela Kane visited Lome,Togo

Click here for more information.

21-22 May 2012: Supporting the Arms Trade Treaty Process: An African Regional Consultation. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

 
In collaboration with IANSA and with the cooperation of the African Union and the support of the Australian Government, UNREC organized a meeting for all African States on the Arms Trade Treaty. The meeting brought together forty nine UN Member States from Africa and African Civil Society Organizations (CSO). During the meeting, States were given the opportunity to learn about and discuss proposed aspects of the ATT, which helped ensure that they are fully equipped for the formal ATT negotiations that started in New York. Please click here for Here are links to the summary of the full report.

23-24 May 2012: Implementing UN Sanctions: prospects and problems, Nairobi, KenyaUNREC shared its experience and knowledge about arms control challenges and UN arms embargoes in Africa at a meeting on implementing the UN sanctions regime. At the meeting there was discussion about the challenges governments and commercial entities face in implementing sanctions and “best practices” on the measures that must be taken in order to comply with sanctions regimes.

21-23 June, 2012: African Union DDR Workshop on Reintegration of ex-combatants- Addis Abeba, Ethiopia.
UNREC gathered with experts of the African Union for a workshop in which best practices for DDR programs were discussed. UNREC also participated in a seminar on the reintegration of combatants and shared its past DDR projects in Niger and Mali.
 

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CONTACT

For more information on any aspect related to the UNREC Focus, please contact Jérôme Tatrabor at jtatrabor(at)unrec.org.