03 jun “WORDS OVER BULLETS” CAMPAIGN WEEK 3 JUNE – 7 JUNE
The Parliamentary Forum on Small Arms and Light Weapons is relaunching the campaign “Words over Bullets” this week on 3th of June- 7th of June. We want to take this opportunity to highlight the problem with Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW)-related violence around the world. The objective is to contribute to global awareness on the importance of preventing and reducing SALW-related violence to reach sustainable development and human security. It includes short films, photos and messages on this subject from parliamentarians, civil society and other relevant actors that represent different regions of the world.
As established in the Strategic Plan 2019-2022, the Theory of Change of the Forum is to contribute to the achievement of more peaceful and sustainably developed societies by enhancing parliamentary action in the implementation and universalisation of international frameworks relevant to the prevention and reduction of SALW-related violence through capacity-building, policy-shaping and awareness-raising.
The Forum is the only membership-based organisation gathering parliamentarians globally across party-political lines, specifically related to the reduction and prevention of SALW-related violence.
The uncontrolled proliferation and misuse of SALW has wide-spread human, economic and social costs; it hinders sustainable development and threatens human security. Furthermore, the uncontrolled proliferation and misuse of SALW threatens democracy and good governance, facilitates violations of human rights, and contributes to the persistence of armed conflict in all parts of the world. This was acknowledged internationally by the inclusion of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 in the 2030 Agenda, target 4, which recognises the reduction of illicit arms flows as vital for sustainable development and peace.
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Methodologically the Forum’s work rests on three main pillars: capacity-building, policy-shaping and awareness-raising. The work is continuously connected to relevant national, regional and international frameworks and processes. The points of departure of the work of the Forum are the three key roles that parliamentarians possess to reduce and prevent SALW-related violence: the legislative, the oversight and the awareness-raising functions. The Forum pursues a multi-stakeholder approach working together with parliamentarians, governments, international organisations and civil society organisations.
Definition of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW), as based on the 1997 UN Panel of Governmental Expert (available on www.un.org) that considers portability a defining characteristic.
The Panel’s list includes civilian, private, and military weapons that fire a projectile with the condition that the unit or system may be carried by an individual, a small number of people, or transported by a pack animal or a light vehicle. The Panel’s list is organised into ’small arms’ and ’light weapons’:
- Small arms: revolvers and self-loading pistols, rifles and carbines, assault rifles, sub-machine guns and light machine guns.
- Light weapons: heavy machine guns, hand-held under-barrel and mounted grenade launchers, portable anti-aircraft guns, portable anti-tank guns, recoilless rifles, portable launchers of anti-tank missile and rocket systems; portable launchers of anti-aircraft missile systems (MANPADS) and mortars of calibres of less than 100 mm.
Sources that are used in the campaign:
Parliamentary Forum, 2016, ‘Policy Statement on Women, Peace and Security’ (accessed 2019-05-17) https://bit.ly/2H2rcfy
Parliamentary Forum, 2017, ‘Policy Statement on Youth, peace and Security’ (accessed 2019-05-17) http://www.parliamentaryforum.org/sites/default/files/policy_statement_on_youth_peace_and_security.pdf
Parliamentary Forum, 2018, ‘Policy Statement on uncontrolled Small Arms and Light Weapons, Terrorism and Organised Crime’ (accessed 2019-05-17 https://bit.ly/2FcxBm1
Small Arms Survey, 2017, ‘GLOBAL VIOLENT DEATHS 2017 – Time to Decide’ (accessed 2019-05-17) http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/U-Reports/SAS-Report-GVD2017.pdf
The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), 2016, ‘Global Terrorism Index’ (accessed 2019-05-17) http://economicsandpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Global-Terrorism-Index2016.2.pdf
United Nation Security Council, 2000, ‘Resolution 1325’ (accessed 2019-05-17) http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/%7B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96FF9%7D/WPS%20SRES1325%20.pdf
United Nations, 2013, ‘The Arms Trade Treaty’ (accessed 2019-05-17) https://unoda-web.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/English7.pdf
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 70/1, 2015, ‘Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’ (accessed 2019-05-17) http://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/Resolution_A_RES_70_1_EN.pdf
United Nations Youth Envoy, 2015, ‘10 things you didn’t know about the world’s population’ (accessed 2019-05-17) https://www.un.org/youthenvoy/2015/04/10-things-didnt-know-worlds-population/
United Nations Security Council, 2015, ‘Resolution 2220’ (accessed 2019-05-17) http://unscr.com/en/resolutions/doc/2220
United Nations, 2018, ‘Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform’ (accessed 2019-05-17) https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg16
United Nation Office for Disarmament Affairs, 2018, ‘Programme of Action on Small Arms and its International Tracing Instrument’ (accessed 2019-05-17) https://www.un.org/disarmament/convarms/salw/programme-of-action/