At least 123 events in 42 countries
have been planned for the Global Week of Action Against
Small Arms, 1-8 June, including public education forums,
roundtable discussions, lobbying events, and press conferences
to highlight the effects of small arms on local communities. This
year's Week of Action is tied closely to the upcoming Biennial
Meeting of
States on Small Arms (BMS) and the UN
Programme of Action (PoA),
and many events are intended to notify governments that
their compliance with the PoA is being monitored.
Please click on the country list to the
left for information about many of the local events taking place,
please click
on the country list to the left. Here are some highlights
of recently reported events:
BANGLADESH - The rally held in
Dhaka on 4th June organised by South Asia Partnership
(SAP)-Bangladesh was covered with photographs in the mainstream
national press. Anti-Gun Rally in Bangladesh
BRAZIL -
Brazilian IANSA participants held a silent march in the capital Brasilia,
using victims' empty shoes to symbolize the high toll
of
gun death in the country. Brazil has one of the highest gun death
rates in the world. Nearly one hundred people die every day in
shoot-outs, most of them young boys and men between 15 and 29
years of age. The event was covered extensively by national
media."
CAMBODIA - There was intense media coverage of
a "flames of peace"
weapons destruction ceremony organised in Kampot by the European
Union
Assistance on Curbing Small Arms and Light Weapons in Cambodia
(EU ASAC)
on 5th June. The small ceremony was held in the ex-Khmer Rouge
community
that had collected the weapons to symbolize the end of violence.
[photos]
An earlier ceremony attended by thousands of people in Stung Treng
destroyed 2535 guns.[photos]
CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE - Rassemblement National des Blessés
et Victimes de
Guerres Civiles (RANABLEVI) issued a press release on June 5th
marking
both the Week of Action and the anniversary of the brutal civil
war of
1997. Communiqué de presse
FRANCE - The French Coalition held a roundtable on arms
transfers and
their effects on human rights as part of the Summit for Another
World,
the Alternative G8 meeting
GHANA - The Ghana Action Network on Small
Arms and the National Commission of Civic Education have held
a press event addressing small arms proliferation as a cause
of insecurity in the West Africa subregion. News
story here
INDIA - 40 schoolchildren in Mumbai held
a candlelight vigil for the victims of gun violence. The vigil
was just one of the many events taking place in India for the
Week of Action; many cities held
more than one event. SASA Network Press Release here INDIA -
Seminars aimed at improving public education about the misuse
of small arms were organised throughout the
country by IIPDEP, the Indian Institute for
Peace, Disarmament & Environmental
Protection. More
JORDAN -
Arabic media reported on the workshops organised by the Regional Human Security Center (RHSC) on strategic planning and
gender.
KENYA -
A report issued by the Security and Information Research Council (SRIC)
asserting the existence of over 120,000 illegal firearms in the North
rift Valley was featured in the East African Standard on 29th
May. News story here
MALAWI - After a press release
published complete in the Malawi News on Friday,
the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) received coverage
in The Nation today, with quotes from the project coordinator, Undule
Mwakasungura. More
MACEDONIA - The Balkan Action Network on Small
Arms held a successful
roundtable discussion on increasing women's involvement in voluntary
disarmament efforts, and gave interviews
to newspapers, radio and TV.
NIGERIA - A seminar on the effect
of small arms on public health in Kano, held by
the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War
(IPPNW) was attended by many members of the media and health sectors.
Report
PAKISTAN - The seminar organised in Peshawar by the Community
Appraisal
& Motivation Programme (CAMP) was a great success in raising awareness
on small arms in the national media. News story here
PARAGUAY - A conference on 1 June of the
Youth Parliament with more than 30 youth groups was covered by
the TV station Canal 9-SNT and the newspaper Noticias de Paraguay,
which dedicated almost a full page
to the event.
SENEGAL - A press conference to launch MALAO's
new report on SALW in Senegal was attended by humanitarian and
development NGOs, as well
as reporters from local newspapers, radio and tv,
Africa International magazine and The Economist. IANSA's Communications
Officer, Awa Ceesay, was on hand to answer questions about the
UN PoA, the Week of Action Against
Small Arms and the global movement against gun violence.
SIERRA LEONE - The formal launching of
Sierra Leone Action Network Against Small Arms
(SLANSA), at which the Minister of the Interior gave the
keynote speech, was accompanied by interviews in the national newspapers
in English and Krio. Video footage was broadcast on the only TV
station in the country. Speech
SOUTH AFRICA - Gun Free South
Africa held an event to promote its campaign to reduce school violence,
which incorporates screenings of 'Bowling for Columbine'.
It was reported by CNN International, SABC and other
national outlets. News story here
SWEDEN - A seminar on Swedish small arms
export policy, featuring the Swedish Fellowship of Reconciliation,
the Small Arms Survey,
International Alert, SweFOR and others led to an article in Dagens
Nyheter, the country’s largest daily, about efforts to tighten
the nation’s gun laws. Swedish news story here
UGANDA - After a seminar organised by the Uganda
Action Network on Small Arms (UANSA) the government
announcement of a voluntary weapons collection programme
and census of legally owned guns was reported in The
Nation.
UNITED KINGDOM - On June 5th International Alert
issued a press release drawing attention to their
Gender and Peacebuilding Program with the theme 'Small
Arms are the Real weapons of Mass Destruction' Press Release
For its Fanning the Flames campaign, Campaign
Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) targeted the largest
arms company in the UK, raising public awareness at
six export sites throughout the country. Press Release
UNITED STATES - The roundtable discussion on 6
June heard presentations from Oxfam, the Arias Foundation
and Human Rights Watch. Rachel Stohl of the Center
for Defense information represented IANSA. More
Please visit our Week
of Action news coverage page for a sample of stories about these and other events.
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