23 sep PRESS RELEASE: Members of Parliament gather for peace-building and armed violence prevention in the MENA region
The Parliamentary Forum on Small Arms and Light Weapons in collaboration with the Embassy of Sweden in Amman will host the regional seminar “Multi-stakeholder dialogue: Parliamentary action on the 2030 Agenda – SALW control in the MENA region with a global outlook” on 24-25 September in Amman, Jordan.
Members of Parliament from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Somalia, Tunisia and Turkey, representatives of the diplomatic community, United Nations and civil society will participate in this two-day seminar. Women parliamentarians, young parliamentarians and youth organisations in the region are especially invited to participate to discuss prevention of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) – related violence.
H.E. Erik Ullenhag, Ambassador of Sweden in Jordan, emphasises the importance to gather around this topic. “For Sweden, it is vital to support processes for democracy and stability in the region. Violence in several countries is exacerbated by the availability and misuse of illicit weapons. Illicit arms flows negatively affect sustainable development and pose a threat to human security and sustainable peace.”
Ms Karin Olofsson, Secretary General of the Parliamentary Forum on Small Arms and Light Weapons pinpoints: “Effective steps to tackle the uncontrolled proliferation of SALW are crucial to prevent armed violence, hence the need to empower law-makers to reinforce their legislative, oversight and awareness-raising functions. Parliamentarians play a vital role in building peace and in armed violence prevention”.
Through policy dialogue and debate, the seminar aims to enhance parliamentary action on uncontrolled SALW-related violence. It also intends to maximise synergies between the 2030 Agenda, the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (UN PoA) and the UN Security Council resolutions on women peace and security (UNSCR 1325) and youth, peace and security (UNSCR 2250). Conclusions will be condensed in a Parliamentary Action Plan, to guide future parliamentary work on the issues discussed.
Venue: Generations for Peace Conference Centre, located at Al-Hussein Youth Sport City, Amman 11196, Jordan. Enter by Gate 6 and turn immediately right, the venue is then directly ahead.
Contact: Maja Peterson, Junior Political Officer, Embassy of Sweden, Amman, Mobile: +962 79 090 6397, E-mail: maja.peterson@gov.se
Follow us on Twitter @SwedeninJO @ParlForumSalw for updates during and after the seminar!