24 jan LAUNCHING NOW: #WORDSOVERBULLETS CAMPAIGN IS LIVE!
Today marks the relaunch of our social media campaign Words Over Bullets, taking place between 24-26 January! We warmly welcome you to interact with us on Facebook and X, under the hashtags #WordsOverBullets, #MotsContreArmes, #PalabrasNoBalas and #ParliamentaryAction. We encourage you to participate in the campaign by sharing a photo of yourself holding a paper with the campaign hashtag, please write the campaign hashtag on a paper or print it here: https://bit.ly/2DSNtcv.
The Words Over Bullets Campaign is an opportunity to raise awareness on the importance of preventing Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW)-related violence and highlight the importance of parliamentary action to prevent armed violence and contribute to more peaceful and sustainably developed societies. The Campaign will raise awareness on the work of the Parliamentary Forum on Small Arms and Light Weapons (the Forum), through sharing posts on the topic, along with photos and videos with key messages from our Members and other stakeholders.
In light of the current state of the world, with ongoing armed conflicts and an increase in SALW-related deaths according to the Small Arms Survey, it is more crucial than ever that parliamentarians take legislative, oversight and awareness raising action for more peaceful and sustainably developed societies. A primary focus of the Forum is to support parliamentarians in bridging the gap between international instruments relevant for SALW control, such as the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, UNSCR 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security (WPS), 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 Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, their Parts and Components and Ammunition (Firearms Protocol), and the national and regional implementation levels.
About the Forum
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.
As established in the Strategic Plan 2023-2026, the overall vision of the Forum is to contribute to the achievement of more peaceful and sustainably developed societies, which is realised through the Forum’s mission of enhancing parliamentary action in the implementation and universalisation of international frameworks relevant to the prevention and reduction of SALW-related violence, as to safeguard human security for the benefit of the right-holders, the entire population.
The uncontrolled proliferation and misuse of SALW have widespread human, economic and social costs; it hinders sustainable development and threatens human security. Furthermore, it threatens democracy and good governance, facilitates violations of human rights, and contributes to the persistence of armed conflicts in all parts of the world. The importance of the reduction of illicit arms flows for the achievement of sustainable development and peace has been acknowledged internationally by the inclusion of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16, target 16.4, in the 2030 Agenda.
Methodologically the Forum’s work rests on three main pillars: capacity development, 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 are the three key roles of parliamentarians: 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)
The Forum uses a definition in line with the 1997 UN Panel of Governmental Expert considers the portability of weapons a defining characteristic.
SALW includes civilian, private, and military weapons that fire a projectile with the condition that small arms can be carried by one person and light weapons can be carried by two or more people, a pack animal or a light vehicle:
- 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.
Campaign sources
A Global Study on the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 (n.d.). Women’s participation and a better understanding of the political. https://wps.unwomen.org/participation/
Institute for Economics & Peace (2023). Global Peace Index 2023.
https://www.visionofhumanity.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/GPI-2023-Web.pdf
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) (2023). Gender Equality. https://www.ipu.org/impact/gender-equality
Small Arms Survey (2023). Global Violent Deaths in 2021. https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/resource/global-violent-deaths-2021
The Arms Trade Treaty (2023). About the ATT. https://thearmstradetreaty.org/
The Parliamentary Forum on Small Arms and Light Weapons (The Forum) (2016). Policy Statement on Women, Peace and Security. https://parliamentaryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Policy-Statement-on-Women-Peace-and-Security-.pdf
The Forum (2022). Summary – Recommendations on parliamentary actions for enhanced implementation of the United Nations Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (UN PoA), the Women, Peace and Security and 2030 Agendas.
The Forum (2023). Now available: Report and Parliamentary Action Plan from regional seminar in Latin America and the Caribbean on parliamentary action promoting Arms Trade Treaty. https://parliamentaryforum.org/2023/09/14/now-available-report-and-parliamentary-action-plan-from-regional-seminar-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean-on-parliamentary-action-promoting-arms-trade-treaty/
UN Office for Disarmament Affairs. Programme of Action on small arms and its International Tracing Instrument.
https://disarmament.unoda.org/convarms/salw/programme-of-action/
UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific. Programme of Action.
https://www.unrcpd.org/conventional-weapons/poa/
Definition from the above stated source, article 27A: “Since weapons in this class are capable of being carried, if a small arm, by one person or, if a light arm, by two or more people, a pack animal or a light vehicle, they allow for mobile operations where heavy mechanized and air forces are not available or are restricted”.