MGE2 IANSA NGO presentation

MGE2 NGO Presentations, 2 June 2015
Jamira Burley,
Amnesty International USA
Good afternoon,
My name is Jamira Burley and I work at Amnesty International USA, as the Senior Campaigner for
Gun Violence and Criminal Justice. Amnesty is a founding member of IANSA, the global movement
against gun violence.
As you probably have noticed, many people in this room are wearing the colour orange. This is a show
of solidarity with the first annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day here in the United States. The
day commemorates Hadiya Pendleton, a high school student from Chicago who was shot dead in 2013.
Today would have been her 18th birthday.
Hadiya’s murder made national news, in part because she was killed just days after performing in the
marching band during President Obama’s inaugural parade. Today, we are wearing orange to celebrate
her life and to raise awareness of the more than 30,000 Americans who die each year by gunshot.
Like Hadiya, I come from an American city where the rates of gun violence are very high – in my case
it is Philadelphia. I know first-hand how gun violence limits the lives and aspirations of young people.
When I was 15, my big brother Andrew was shot and killed. Andrew was 20 years old. He was a person
who believed in putting family first and treating everyone with respect.
My brother’s murder propelled me into this work, where I have learned that gun violence is not just an
American problem, or a poor people’s problem. Gun violence impacts us all, across borders, religions,
race, gender and social or economic class. It destroys families and communities.
It is up to us to ensure that governments everywhere use every mechanism available to prevent another
person – another Hadiya, another Andrew – from losing their life to the barrel of a gun. Thank you for
remembering that, in your deliberations this week. And thank you for joining us in wearing orange.
Jamira Burley
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MGE2 NGO Presentations, 2 June 2015
Dr. Omolade Oladejo,
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (Nigeria)
Good afternoon,
Thank you for the privilege of speaking on behalf of IANSA, representing the Society of Doctors for
the Welfare of Mankind, the Nigerian affiliate of the International Physicians for the Prevention of
Nuclear War.
My name is Omolade Oladejo, a medical officer with the Nigerian Ministry of Defense in Abuja.
As a physician who treats civilians as well as military personnel, I would like to discuss how health
professionals and policy makers can work together to address the demand for small arms and help us
reach essential human security objectives.
To me, this is very personal. My country has developed a gun culture that has given rise to terrible
incidents. Just a few years ago, I was one of the first responders to the bombing of the UN
Headquarters in Abuja. When I arrived, I saw bodies and body parts everywhere. It took all the medical
resources of the region to respond to this tragedy. Now we have groups such as Boko Haram,
employing illegal guns, terrorizing my people.
This must stop!
Some people see guns as a form of protection for their families. However, as scientists we know that
guns in our homes and in our communities are much more likely to be used to kill, injure, or intimidate
an innocent person than to protect against an attacker.
Let me turn to the medical costs of gun violence.
Investment in combatting armed violence diverts money and human resources from health care and
other vital human needs. Armed violence has shrunk national economies in Africa by a staggering 15
percent. In my home country of Nigeria, the average per capita health expenditure is only $115 per
year. Treatment for a gun injury can run from hundreds to thousands of dollars, diverting precious
funds from basic health care.
The PoA addresses health. For example, the need to engage health and medical institutions to develop
and support action-oriented research to facilitate greater understanding of the nature and scope of the
problems associated with small arms.
What are some ways that we can work together to achieve this goal?
We can work together in the scientific method known as the “public health approach,” which has been
used successfully to prevent infectious disease. It entails collecting data, using it to identify risk factors,
and tailoring interventions to prevent armed violence.
Dr Omolade Oladejo
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MGE2 NGO Presentations, 2 June 2015
Of course, this requires financial investments as well as commitments from the highest policy levels.
National Commissions on Small Arms, in concert with Ministries of Health, and supported by
development assistance, can and should work together to develop these investments.
The PoA must not forget the plight of the victims and survivors.
We have pilot-tested low-cost interventions that show promise, but we need to find ways to replicate
and sustain promising programs through strong cooperation between and among states and civil
society.
Mr. Chair, delegates and colleagues, it is impossible to achieve development without health, as it is
impossible to maintain and promote health in the midst of armed violence.
With these essential objectives in mind, we recommend the following:
1. PoA reporting documents should include a question asking about the implementation of
programs within each country to prevent armed violence.
2. Health care professionals and Ministries of Health should have representation on National
Commissions on Small Arms, to help assess the most strategic investments based on highest
needs.
3. States should implement national collection of data on gun-related injuries and deaths;
4. Finally, States should ensure that survivors of gun violence receive the assistance they need for
full care and rehabilitation.
Thank you.
Dr Omolade Oladejo
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MGE2 NGO Presentations, 2 June 2015
Marren Akatsa-Bukachi,
Eastern African Sub-regional Support Initiative for Advancement of
Women (EASSI) (Kenya)
Mr Chair,
I am Marren Akatsa-Bukachi from Kenya, Executive Director of the Eastern African Sub-regional
Support Initiative for Advancement of Women (EASSI), a women’s rights organization in Eastern
Africa. EASSI is a member of IANSA Women’s Network. IANSA is a network of more than 800
organizations working to stop the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons. Many of
our members serve on the National Commissions on Small Arms in their countries.
It may seem that when we come every year or two to address the UN, we tend to repeat ourselves.
That’s because year after year, our communities continue to be tortured by gun violence. Some of this
violence makes news around the world, but for us it is more than a headline. In September 2013, a
small group of men armed with assault weapons and grenades attacked the Westgate shopping mall in
Nairobi. At least 67 people were killed, including my uncle Joshua who had gone to pick up a birthday
cake for his daughter. This incident illustrates the disproportionate destructive power of small arms –
just 4 or 5 assailants killed dozens of people and wounded hundreds more.
You probably also heard about the attack on the campus in Garissa, in Northern Kenya, where one 147
students were murdered by – again, a small group of armed men. But you probably did not hear of the
attack a week ago today – also in Garissa – on a group of police officers. One of those shot was my
cousin Elisha, who is right now lying in hospital with a bullet in his brain. He needs blood, and the
hospital does not have enough, so the call has gone out to the community. 30 units of blood have been
donated, he is partially paralysed, and we don’t know what the outcome will be for him. He has a
young family, a wife and 2 children.
The death of my Uncle Joshua and the wounding of my Cousin Elisha are the reason for our being here.
They are individuals who would never have been mentioned at the United Nations, if not for the flood
of guns in our region.
Mr Chair, the focus of this MGE is technology. The majority of people around the world, especially the
vulnerable, have no say in the development or promulgation of new technologies for weapons
production. Last year at BMS5, Member States committed themselves to promoting the meaningful
participation of women in combating the illicit trade in small arms, in training, policy-making,
planning, and implementation of the Programme of Action, including stockpile management and
physical security measures, awareness-raising and education.
In fact, increasing the participation of women in this area of policy and programming could, in itself,
result in lower levels of small arms proliferation and misuse. Women are more likely to prioritize the
safety of their families and communities, rather than the motivation of acquiring the latest technologies
so they are better armed than their neighbours – sometimes known as Boys and their Toys.
I just saw a report of a US study on attitudes toward 3-D printing of guns. In this study, men were twice
as likely as women to say that people should be allowed to use 3-D printing to produce guns in their
Marren Akatsa-Bukachi
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MGE2 NGO Presentations, 2 June 2015
homes. Imagine how strong the regulation of small arms would be if women were in charge!
Some new technologies can exacerbate the problem of illicit arms trafficking. On the other hand, there
may be technological developments to enhance recordkeeping, marking and tracing of weapons. We are
in favour of technological innovations that can improve small arms control, including weapons marking
and record-keeping, stockpile management, and to prevent unauthorized use.
Mr Chair, in conclusion I would like to offer two recommendations:
1. Follow through on the commitment at BMS5 to utilize women’s knowledge and experience by
increasing women’s representation and participation in policy-making, planning, and
implementation related to the small arms control.
2. Train and build the capacity of women so they can actively participate in the investigation and
decision making processes related to the new technologies.
Thank you.
Marren Akatsa-Bukachi
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MGE2 NGO Presentations, 2 June 2015
Victor Amisi Sulubika,
Vision-Gram International, RD Congo
Merci M. le président,
Mon nom est Victor Amisi Sulubika et je suis d’origine congolaise. Je suis le directeur exécutif de
Vision-Gram International, qui sauve et réhabilite la vie des enfants soldats à l’Est de la République
démocratique du Congo. Comme mes collègues, je prends aujourd'hui la parole en tant que membre de
IANSA, le Réseau d'action international sur les armes légères – le mouvement mondial contre la
violence armée.
Ma région, l'Afrique centrale, n'a pas connu la paix depuis de nombreuses années, en raison de la
prolifération et l'utilisation irresponsable des armes à feu. Je suis un survivant de la violence armée, un
fusil sur ma tempe avait suffi pour comprendre le danger de ces armes. Je fus obligé de quitter mon
pays à cause de la violence. Cette situation a motivé beaucoup d'entre nous de faire partie d'IANSA,
espérant travailler ensemble avec la communauté internationale pour rétablir la paix et l'espoir de
millions de personnes.
Le mois dernier, nous avons célébré la Semaine mondiale d'action contre la violence armée, sous le
thème «Le coût humain des armes légères». Au cours de cette semaine, un de mes collègues de IANSA,
M. Karamoko Diakité de la Côte d'Ivoire, s’est adressé au Conseil de sécurité. Il a décrit comment la
grande disponibilité des armes – qu'ils aient été obtenues à partir des stocks d’états ou par le trafic
international – pouvait saper les systèmes et structures de gouvernance, et de laisser un pays
ingouvernable, instable et extrêmement vulnérable. Cela peut se produire très rapidement – en quelques
jours.
Cette réunion MGE met l’accent sur les nouvelles technologies. Comme l’ont mentionné hier les
délégués de certains pays Africains, les pays les plus touchés par l'inondation d'armes à feu sont encore
aux prises avec les mêmes problèmes comme avant: la faible gestion des stocks, une législation
dépassée et surtout un manque de compétence, de capacité et de ressources dans nos services
administratifs, de police et de sécurité. La plupart de nos pays n’ont pas encore fait face aux armes
produites par l’impression 3D ou des armes de polymères; mais nous avons déjà un problème important
avec des armes ordinaires, et, aussi avec des armes artisanales qui posent un défi à nos systèmes de
contrôle et de sécurité.
Le fléau des armes légères et de petit calibre a, en général, été infligé aux pays en développement par
les fabricants et les marchands d'armes des pays industrialisés. Rappelez-vous quand la Guerre froide a
pris fin, et les marchands d'armes ont versé des centaines de millions d'armes en Afrique. Ce processus
a gagné d'énormes profits pour les vendeurs d'armes, mais il a infligé sur notre continent un coût
incalculable - non seulement en termes de vies perdues, mais aussi des dommages à nos économies,
notre gouvernance et la capacité de nos enfants à réaliser leur potentiel.
Notre crainte est que les nouvelles technologies en cours de discussion cette semaine seront encore un
autre exemple d'une avancée commerciale dans le monde riche qui provoque beaucoup de dégâts dans
le monde pauvre. Mes collègues d’IANSA ont mentionné Boko Haram et Al-Shabaab, et il y a
beaucoup d'autres acteurs non étatiques qui provoquent le chaos en Afrique. Si ces groupes acquièrent
Victor Amisi Sulubika
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MGE2 NGO Presentations, 2 June 2015
la capacité de produire en masse des armes à feu qui ne peuvent pas être marquées ou tracées, ce sera
un cauchemar de sécurité. Une telle évolution nuirait à la capacité nationale et régionale de mettre en
œuvre tous les instruments relatifs aux armes légères.
M. le président, même si cette menace est encore à l'avenir pour la plupart des pays, il est essentiel que
chaque État ait au moins un plan.

En tant qu’organisations de la société civile, nous demandons aux États membres de
réglementer ces nouveaux types d'armes de façon très rigoureuse. Les lois nationales et
internationales exigent que toutes les armes soient marquées de manière à être tracées. Donc si
quelqu'un produit les armes par un nouveau procédé de fabrication, et que ces armes ne sont pas
en mesure d'être effectivement marquées pour le traçage, elles devraient être interdites.

Les États devraient satisfaire à TOUTES leurs responsabilités selon le Programme d’Action,
l’Instrument sur le Traçage, et le Traité sur le Commerce des Armes.

Les États devraient utiliser la nouvelle technologie pour renforcer l'échange d'informations aux
niveaux national, régional et international pour lutter contre le trafic d'armes et prévenir le
détournement aux destinataires non autorisés.

Les États doivent reconnaître et soutenir le rôle important des organisations de la société civile
dans les efforts pour arrêter la prolifération des armes et pour prévenir la violence.
Je vous remercie de l’attention.
Victor Amisi Sulubika
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MGE2 NGO Presentations, 2 June 2015
Victor Amisi Sulubika,
Vision-Gram International, DR Congo (English version)
Thank you Mr Chair
My name is Victor Amisi Sulubika and I am from Congo. I am the Executive Director of Vision-Gram
International, which rescues and rehabilitates child soldiers in the Eastern part of the Democratic
Republic of Congo. Like my colleagues, I am speaking today as a member of IANSA, the International
Action Network on Small Arms – the global movement against gun violence.
My region, Central Africa, has not known peace for many years now, because of uncontrolled
proliferation and irresponsible use of guns. I am a survivor of gun violence, having learned about the
danger of these weapons by a rifle at my head. I was forced to leave my country because of violence.
This situation motivated many of us to become part of IANSA, hoping work together with the
international community to restore peace and hope to millions of people.
Last month we celebrated the Global Week of Action Against Gun Violence, with the theme “the
Human Cost of Small Arms’. During that week, one of my IANSA colleagues, Mr Karamoko Diakité
from Cote d’Ivoire, addressed the Security Council. He described how the easy availability of guns –
whether obtained from legal stockpiles or through international trafficking – can undermine governance
systems and structures, and leave a country ungovernable, unstable and extremely vulnerable. This can
happen very quickly – in a matter of days.
This MGE has an emphasis on new technologies. As some African delegates mentioned yesterday, the
countries worst affected by the flood of guns are still struggling with the same old-fashioned problems
as before: poor stockpile management, outdated legislation, and above all a severe lack of capacity,
lack of skills and lack of resources in our administrative, law enforcement and security agencies. Most
of our countries have yet to encounter 3D printing or polymer weapons, but we have a significant
problem already with ordinary commercially produced weapons, and also with home –made or craft
weapons which pose a challenge to our security and gun control systems.
The scourge of small arms and light weapons has, in general, been inflicted on the developing countries
by the arms manufacturers and arms dealers of the industrialised countries. Remember when the Cold
War ended, and the arms dealers poured hundreds of millions of guns into Africa. This process earned
huge profits for the gun sellers, but it inflicted on our continent an incalculable cost – not only in terms
of lives lost but also in damage to our economies, our governance and the ability of our children to
fulfil their potential in terms of education and employment.
Our fear is that the new technologies being discussed this week will be yet another example of a
commercial advance in the rich world that causes great damage in the poor world. My IANSA
Victor Amisi Sulubika (English)
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MGE2 NGO Presentations, 2 June 2015
colleagues have mentioned Boko Haram and al Shabaab, and there are many other non-state actors
causing chaos in Africa. If these groups acquire the capacity to mass-produce guns that cannot be
marked or traced, that will be a security nightmare. Such a development would undermine national and
regional capacity to implement all the instruments dealing with small arms.
Mr Chair, even though this threat is still in the future for most countries, it is essential that every
Member State at least have a plan for how they will deal with it.

As civil society organizations we urge Member States to regulate these new types of weapons
very rigorously. International and domestic laws requires that all guns be marked so they can be
traced – so if someone produces guns by a new manufacturing method, and those guns are not
able to be marked effectively for tracing, those guns should be prohibited.

States should meet ALL of their commitments under the UN POA and its associated documents,
including the BMS5 Outcome document, the International Tracing Instrument and the ATT.

States should apply new technologies to improve information exchange at the national, regional
and international levels to combat arms trafficking and prevent diversion to unauthorized recipients.

States should acknowledge and support the important role of civil society in effort to interrupt
the flood of guns and prevent violence.
Thank you for your attention.
Victor Amisi Sulubika (English)
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MGE2 NGO Presentations, 2 June 2015
Carmen Rosa de Leon-Escribano,
Instituto de Enseñanza para el Desarrollo Sostenible (IEPADES)
Soy Carmen Rosa de Leon-Escribano, guatemalteca, Directora del Instituto de Enseñanza para el
Desarrollo Sostenible IEPADES, quien trabaja en conjunto con otras cinco organizaciones en la región
centroamericana a través de la REDCEPAZ. Somos miembros fundadores de IANSA y de la Coalición
Latinoamericana para la Prevención de la Violencia Armada –CLAVE.
Nuestra subregión de Centroamérica y sobre todo, Honduras, El Salvador y Guatemala, constituyen,
hoy por hoy, la zona del mundo con las tasa más altas de homicidio por armas de fuego.
La violencia armada extrema que nos toca vivir no puede ser afrontada en forma unilateral por una
institución o sector social. Es un problema multidimensional, que requiere por tanto, respuestas de una
gran diversidad de actores estatales y no estatales. La única forma de articular acciones exitosas e
integrales, es a través de la alianza estratégica entre las instituciones del estado y las organizaciones de
la sociedad civil, contando en todo momento con la participación de las comunidades y sobre todo de
los grupos más vulnerables frente a la violencia armada: niños y niñas, mujeres y jóvenes.
En el marco del Programa de Acción son varios las acciones que se han desarrollado en diferentes
ámbitos:
1) Ámbito legislativo: las mejores legislaciones nacionales orientadas a prevenir y combatir el
tráfico de armas son aquellas en que se ha escuchado y trabajado con la participación de
expertos y expertas provenientes del mundo académico y de las organizaciones de sociedad
civil especializadas en la materia. Igualmente las organizaciones hemos impulsado los
intercambios de experiencias entre legisladores para fortalecer marcos normativos integrales y
funcionales que permitan sobre todo el compartir información y la acción conjunta de los
gobiernos para enfrentar la problemática en el ámbito regional. En este sentido es importante
resaltar el papel de REDCEPAZ, trabajando en conjunto con el Sistema de Integración
Centroamericano y con apoyo de la Unión Europea. Así mismo se destaca el trabajo de CLAVE
para la elaboración de una ley marco sobre armas y municiones para la región latinoamericana
con el apoyo del Parlamento Latinoamericano.
2) Desde la perspectiva del fortalecimiento institucional para cumplir las funciones que les
competen, las organizaciones hemos colaborado a través de: procesos de formación y
capacitación tanto en materia legislativa como técnica; de la producción de guías y manuales;
así como, de propiciar el intercambio de información entre funcionarios de las instituciones de
varios países. Hemos sido canal para el fortalecimiento tecnológico y creación de unidades
especializadas orientadas a combatir el tráfico de armas. De hecho en Guatemala, IEPADES ha
apoyado con fondos del Reino de los Países Bajos al Ministerio Público y a la Policía Nacional
Civil en la creación de sus Unidades de Rastreo de Tráfico Ilícito de Armas, las cuales ya han
dado sus primeros resultados.
3) Un tercer aspecto en que la alianza estratégica entre los gobiernos y la sociedad civil tiene
resultados positivos, es en la producción de información y análisis de la misma, lo cual conduce
Carmen Rosa de Leon-Escribano
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MGE2 NGO Presentations, 2 June 2015
a la mejor toma de decisiones y la formulación de política pública, como ha sucedido en Brasil,
Colombia y Guatemala.
4) En cuanto al fomento de una cultura de paz, es sensible la cooperación que se ha establecido
entre ambos actores para el desarrollo de jornadas nacionales y campañas de sensibilización y
difusión en materia de prevención.
5) El ámbito donde se hace obligadamente “natural” la coordinación entre las instituciones del
Estado y la sociedad civil, es en la comunidad. Ahí participa el poder local, las comunidades de
base, las empresas y comercios, las iglesias y las organizaciones locales, así como los
representantes de los grupos afectados. Es en este espacio donde podemos encontrar
experiencias exitosas en la reducción de la inseguridad y la violencia armada a través de
acciones integrales, creativas y sencillas.
6) Definitivamente la mayor parte de estas acciones no hubieran podido consolidarse sin el apoyo
de la cooperación internacional.
7) Finalmente, queremos hacer un llamado para fortalecer las Comisiones Nacionales encargadas
del esfuerzo interinstitucional para combatir el tráfico ilícito de armas y la violencia generada
por las mismas. También reiterar, que se ha logrado enfoques integrales y esfuerzos coordinados
en mejor forma, en aquellas en que las organizaciones de sociedad civil forman parte, o son
invitadas a participar de los esfuerzos. Por ello, solicitamos a los gobiernos que no lo hayan
hecho, que incluyan en estas Comisiones a representantes de sociedad civil. Es la mejor forma
de lograr resultados con alcance integral y sostenible.
8) Así mismo, reiterar nuestro agradecimiento a la cooperación internacional e instar a los países
para que continúen apoyando los esfuerzos para el fortalecimiento de las instituciones del
estado y la sociedad civil, en la tarea de prevenir y encontrar soluciones duraderas a la violencia
armada.
Gracias.
Carmen Rosa de Leon-Escribano
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