08 feb NOW AVAILABLE: REPORT FROM PFSALW’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY SEMINAR!
The Parliamentary Forum on Small Arms and Light Weapons would like to extend its sincere gratitude to all joining us at our 20th Anniversary Seminar in the Swedish Parliament on December 14, 2022, titled “Key challenges and opportunities in the prevention of Small Arms and Light Weapons-related violence globally: The role of parliamentarians in contributing to more peaceful and sustainably developed societies”. Warm gratitude also to the hosts Hon. Olle Thorell and Hon. Magdalena Thuresson, Members of Parliament in Sweden and members of PFSALW, and to all panellists who shared their vital expertise.
The seminar explored the main lessons learned from 20 years’ of work on preventing Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW)-related violence, as well as the key priorities looking ahead, including recommendations on parliamentary actions to curb illicit flows of SALW as to contribute to more peaceful and sustainably developed societies.
The main conclusions included:
- The number of armed conflicts has increased in the last years, along with the estimated number of firearms circulating worldwide. The devastating effects on societies and humans worldwide underline the continued importance of parliamentary legislative, oversight and awareness raising action to prevent illicit SALW flows.
- As a key opportunity in the efforts ahead to prevent illicit flows of SALW, it was observed that several vital international frameworks relevant to SALW control have been put in place in recent years, and that these are increasingly being ratified and implemented.
- It continues to be vital to mainstream the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda in peace and security processes for enhanced impact and sustainability, as women are still underrepresented consistently in the fields of disarmament and arms control.
To learn more about the seminar discussions, warmly welcome to read the seminar report here: http://parliamentaryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Final-report-20th-Anniversary-seminar.pdf