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| Global Week of Action Against Small Arms 2005 |
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Africa
Angola | Benin | Burundi | Cameroon | Côte d'Ivoire | Congo – Democratic Republic | Ghana | Kenya | Lesotho | Liberia | Malawi | Mali | Mauritius | Nigeria | Senegal | Sierra Leone | Somalia | South Africa | Sudan | Swaziland | Tanzania | Togo | Uganda | Zambia | Zimbabwe |
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| Angola (i) |
The Angolan Centre for Teaching Peace (ACTP) and the Kimabnguist Church of Angola (IKA) held a seminar on ‘The Impact of Armed Violence on The Angolan Women in Luanda’ and met with local authorities, governors, the police commander-in-chief, the chiefs of civil defence units and religious leaders to capacitate and mobilize the population for practical disarmament. ACTP and IKA also collected pictures for the Million Faces Petition.
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| Angola (ii) |
| Angola2000 held a conference in Kuito-Bié, Luanda and Andulo(Bié) under the theme " For an Angola without arms, secure and prosperous". The conference focused on post conflict Angola, strengthening awareness campaigns on arms management and disarmament, need for civilian disarmament, women in armed violence and the Arms Trade Treaty. In the Bié province, the Provincial Governor made the inauguration speech. Click here for report |
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| Benin |
| Amnesty International - Benin sent advocacy letters to parliamentarians, the Ministers of Justice, Interior and Defence, and the General Directors of the National Police, the National Gendarmerie and Customs. A press release by AI – Benin was published in the daily newspaper, Le point au quotidian. A radio programme was broadcast on ORTB on two consecutive days. |
| Burundi (i) |
Good Generation (Bonne Génération) was interviewed on Radio Publique Africane (RPA). The programme was broadcast in French, Swahili and Kirundi. Radio Culture broadcast an interview with Good Generation in French and in Kurundi.
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Burundi (ii)
A press conference was held by CAP, Dagropass and Ligue Iteka, on disarming civilians as well as a debate which was broadcast on Radio télévision national Bujumbura (RTNB). The three IANSA members also took pictures for the Million Faces petition in the province of Bubanza and in the capital of Bujumbura. |
Burundi (iii)
Colonie des pionniers de développement organised radio programmes on Radio Isanganiro on the public’s opinion of SALW and on the Week of Action against Small Arms. It also distributed a press release which demanded the government and parliamentarians to support initiatives to control arms and ratify the Nairobi Protocol. |
| Burundi (iv) |
| AVREO published messages in newspapers, leaflets and on the radio and hung four banners in the cities of Kiliba, Uvira, Port of Kalundu, Makobol, Mboko and Baraka. |
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| Cameroon |
| The Cameroon Youth and Students Forum for Peace (CAMYOSFOP) held a church service on prayers for victims of small arms, a workshop on SALW in Yaounde, poster drawing competition at Government High School in Mbonge and an Exhibition and press conference on ATT. There was also a round-table discussion on Cameroon's legislation on small arms control and CAMYOSFOP drafted resolutions to be sent to the Parliament on the implementation of tougher control on small arms. Eugene Ngalim (CAMYOSFOP) spoke about the small arms situation in Cameroon during the program Cameroon Calling on CRTV radio. He was also interviewed about the international Arms Trade Treaty on CRBTV radio's national news program and was a guest on local radio station Satellite FM answering questions from the public. |
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| Congo - Democratic Republic of the Congo (i) |
| The Association of Congolese Doctors for Peace (Association des médecins congolais pour la paix) organised two radio programmes on Radio Okapi and Radio Amani, which were broadcast nationally. It also held a press conference at the University of Kisangani which was attended by 21 radio and television journalists, as well as students and teachers from the university. A debate conference was held with political and military officials, representatives of the UN Peacekeeping Mission in the Congo (MONUC), NGO activists and students. A memorandum was written to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Defence and Security Commission of the National Assembly. |
| Congo - Democratic Republic of the Congo (ii) |
| The Conflict Prevention Initiative (Initiative de Prévention des Conflits) organised a TV programme, which was broadcast on RTNC II. The programme discussed the impact of guns on women and children as well as the efforts of the Congolese government to combat the problem. It also featured the Coordinator of the National Focal Point on SALW in the DRC and Evelyne Mbata, Director of Information and Awareness-Raising at the National Commission on Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reinsertion of Ex-Combatants (CONADER). |
| Congo - Democratic Republic of the Congo (iii) |
GRADI-Congo had radio broadcasts on both the national radio station (RTNC) and OKAPI, the radio station of the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC. The one-hour programmes were broadcast on three consecutive days and addressed the following themes:
- the war and its effect on children.
- the process of community reinsertion for victims of conflict.
- the role of the local authorities in preventing arms trafficking in the Great Lakes region.
The organisation also held a debate conference with 25 military officers on the impact of war on civilians, particularly children, and community reinsertion of ex-combatants. Multiple contacts were made with political and military policymakers in order to make them aware of the measures they should take against to combat arms trafficking. |
| Congo - Democratic Republic of the Congo (iv) |
| Projet GRAM- Kivu distributed its March 2005 report on SALW, an analysis of the problem of small arms in the Eastern part of the DRC to the provincial authorities in Sud-Kivu and human rights NGOs. It also submitted a document on the SALW in Sud-Kivu to the media, and published an educational poster on SALW in the DRC. Members of the organisation met with communities in the villages of Kalonge over two days to make them aware of the problem of SALW. |
| Congo - Democratic Republic of the Congo (v) |
| Congolese Action for Peace and Democracy (Action congolaise pour la paix et la démocratie) issued a press release. |
| Congo - Democratic Republic of the Congo (vi) |
| UCOPASUKI, a founding member of the Congolese Action Network on Small Arms (RECAAL) was interviewed on Radio OKAPI and on another radio station, ‘Le Messager du people.’ During the Week of Action the group drove around Mulongwe and Uvira with a megaphone addressing crowds at markets and other populous places in French and Swahili on the subject of small arms; traveled to a school for vulnerable children associatd with the armed forces and addressed its students and teachers; and held a debate conference in Mulongwe, whose participants included representations of UNDP and civil society in Sud-Kivu. |
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| Côte d'Ivoire (i) |
| The African Union Club (Club Union Africaine) and its partners Amnesty International - Côte d’Ivoire, SOS exclusion and the Centre for Democracy and Women’s Rights (Centre Féminin pour la démocratie et les droits des femmes), organised a series of consultations on the creation of a national commission on small arms, a radio programme on RTI the proliferation of small arms in the Côte d’Ivoire, and a joint declaration published in the Ivorian press. |
| Côte d'Ivoire (ii) |
| Together for a Just Society (Ensemble pour une Société Juste) organised a public conference on policies to combat small arms in Côte d’Ivoire. Outreach programmes for the media and parliamentarians, meetings with the Minister of Justice to discuss laws pertaining to small arms control and a theatrical / cultural event on the proliferation of small arms were among other events held. |
| Côte d'Ivoire (iii) |
| Women reporters against arms (Femmes reporters contre les armes) organised a Day against Small Arms under the theme of Small Arms and Post Conflict Development. |
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| Ghana |
Ghanaian Action Network on Small Arms (GHANSA) organised an awareness raising caravan which visited Yendi in the north of the country and Takoradi in the west. A press conference in Yendi was reported on a number of local radio stations, including Savannah FM and Justice FM. Press coverage in Takoradi included radio discussion and commentaries on Sky FM, Rock FM and Radio Max. The Accra Daily Mail featured an opinion piece from the GHANSA. The article calls for West African governments to declare support for an international Arms Trade Treaty.
In the capital Accra, Radios Atlantic and Joy FM interviewed GHANSA members, while TV Africa also featured a discussion of small arms on the programme 'Media Review'. |
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| Kenya (i) |
| The Kenyan Action Network on Small Arms (KANSA) received wide media coverage on its activities which included a press conference, a youth soccer tournament, community symposia, theatre show, youth concert and visit to victims of SALW in hospitals. Click here for reports and photos |
| Kenya (ii) |
| Umoja As One organised a youth concert in churches and schools presided by a parliamentarian and a member of the House Security Committee. Interdenominational prayers for peace were held in churches and pictures were collected for the Million Faces Petition. |
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| Lesotho |
| The Transformation Resource Centre launched the report ‘Hide and Seek’. |
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| Liberia |
The Centre for Peace Education and Democracy (COPEL) organised a three-day awareness and education workshop for rural inhabitants on the proliferation, misuse, dangers and effects of small arms and light weapons which was reported in the Analyst newspaper.
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| Malawi |
| The Malawi National Network on Small Arms held a press briefing, issued a press release and had radio programmes run by the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR). It also took advantage of a training session on human rights and policing for Police Executives to talk about the campaign and lobbied with Members of Parliament. |
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| Mali (i) |
| Amnesty International – Mali held a press conference which was reported in both the national radio and television and covered by several newspapers including the Republican, Monde Duniya, and Nouvel Horizon. AI - Mali discussed the problem of small arms on programmes broadcast on Radio Kayira and Radio G d'Angers. An article on the Week of Action, the problem of small arms in Mali and the work of AI - Mali was published on the news website afribone.com. AI-Mali also organised a photo exhibition at its headquarters and took photos for the Million Faces Petition. |
| Mali (ii) |
| The Association of Women for Peace Initiatives (Association des femmes pour les initiatives de paix) met with the national director of transport in order to make him aware of his organisation’s role in the trans-border flow of arms. |
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| Mauritius |
| MACOSS lobbied with the Mauritius government to implement the UN PoA on Small Arms. |
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| Nigeria (i) |
The Women’s Network of the Nigerian Action Network on Small Arms launched ‘The Impact of Guns on Women’s Lives’ report at a press conference. The event received media coverage in the Daily Trust and Vanguard newspapers. Click here for report and photos
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| Nigeria (ii) |
| The Nigerian National Network, NANSA, arranged meetings at the national assembly and all the state legislatures as well as between NGOs and the police and state security forces. |
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| Senegal (i) |
| The Control Arms Coalition in Senegal, which includes Oxfam, Amnesty Senegal, RADDHO, MALAO, Afrique Enjeux, GADEC, GRA-REDEP, MJPI, AFSTRAG and RJJS, organised several activities, including a radio report on small arms and light weapons on the pan-African Afrique numéro 1, a meeting with deputy members of the Defence and Security Commission of the National Assembly Workshop with the Arms and Ammunitions Division of the Ministry of the Interior (11:30-12:30), a training workshop on small arms and peace education for 70 teachers in Kolda, and a conference on civilian-military partnerships and human security in Senegal.
Click here for reports and photos |
| Senegal (ii) |
The Senegalese Action Network on Small Arms (RESAAL) organised a conference on women and armed violence, which was reported in the Wal Fadjri, a national newspaper in Senegal. RESAAL also organised a Day of Action for Senegalese civil society to plan their strategy for the BMS and the future.
IANSA members, with the support of Oxfam America, manned a stand at an annual church fair in the heavily gun-affected region of Casamance, at which they handed out fliers on small arms and took photos for the Million Faces Petition. |
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| Sierra Leone |
| The Sierra Leone Action Network on Small Arms (SLANSA) issued a press release urging the government to review existing legislation on arms which was reported in the Concord Times, screened the film ‘Cry Freetown’, held drawing competitions and sensitization programmes for local gun manufacturers and the general public. SLANSA also collected photos for the Million Faces Petition. Click here for reports and photos |
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| Somalia |
Green Leaf for Democracy (GLED) organised two soccer matches in Hudur and Bosaso and a press conference which received wide media coverage including the Hamar Radio, VOD Radio, Shabelle Radio and Mogadishu Radio. There were daily reports in the Ayaamaha newspaper, as well as coverage in the Qaran Press. Two articles appeared in the Mogadishu Times and the Somaliweyn published an article in English on the Somali Week of Action.
GLED also designed a set of awareness raising materials: 1000 stickers, with slogans: Put The Gun Take The Pen, Seek Peace So As To Get Life; 200 posters were sent to areas promoted as 'safe'. Click here to see some of these materials.
Benadir Radio broadcast a 7-minutes program every day about small arms, the Week of Action, and Somalia. The press release was published online by the Puntland Post, Mudug Online and Marka Cadeey News.
Click here for reports and photos
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| South Africa |
IANSA members Gun Free South Africa (GFSA), Ceasefire Campaign and the Coalition for Peace in Africa (COPA) had a host of activities including media exposure. Ceasefire launched a book by Geoff Harris with talk shows on radio and TV. COPA held an inter-denominational prayer service and an artistic performance at the Pimville Community Centre. In Durban, there was a seminar on the role of traditional leaders in reducing gun violence against women and their role in promoting community safety and a youth action organised by GFSA – KwaZulu Natal.
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| Sudan (i) |
The Human Security Initiative Organisation (HSIO) handed over a letter to the Sudanese President Marshall Omer Al Bashir urging the government to sign and ratify the UN Protocol to combat illicit proliferation and trafficking of small arms (2000) and the Nairobi Protocol on the illicit spread and misuse of small arms. There was also an awareness raising programme for women on the impact of guns on people’s lives and posters encouraging disarmament were distributed. Click here for reports and photos
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| Sudan (ii) |
Oxfam’s South Sudan Program launched the report ‘The Impact of Guns on Women’s Lives’ with the Southern Sudanese refugee women in Nairobi. Other activities included a drama on the impact of guns on women coupled with presentation of poems and songs by young refugees, training workshops organised by the Small Arms and Peace Committee for volunteers involved in collecting photos for the Million Faces petition, a presentation on the impact of arms to the community and launch of the Million Faces (MF) petition in Mundri.
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| Sudan – South (iii) |
| A Theatrical performance – "Playing Against Weapons" – was organised in Khartoum by the Peace Culture Centre of the Sudan University of Science and Technology. |
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| Tanzania |
The UNDP Northwestern Tanzania Programme held a stakeholder’s workshop to share ideas on how partners can join forces in raising awareness, sensitisation and campaigning against small arms proliferation followed by a two-day training for government officials in the region. There was also an official launch of the Implementation of the Small Arms Plan for 2005.
A one-month amnesty was declared in the Kigoma region to encourage the public to return illegal weapons which has been successful with at least six weapons surrendered and more to be collected from distant villages. Among the weapons returned was a war-type Chinese gun worth Tsh. 10,000,000. The Amnesty has received publicity on Radio Kwizera – Kibondo while more media events have been planned with Radio Tanzania (Dar es Salaam and Western Zone – Kigoma) and Radio Africa sponsored by UNDP. |
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| Togo |
Amnesty International - Togo held a press conference, covered by the only daily newspaper in Togo, Togo-Presse, which published an article on the appeal made to the government by the Togolese Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA-Togo) to bolster the control of arms in the region. In addition, a radio programme was broadcast on three radio stations in Lomé on three days. AI – Togo and its partners, including Éclair du 3e MD, and CJSP, also organised a debate conference with the UN Centre for Disarmament in Lomé, lobbied parliamentarians and government officials, and collected photos for the Million Faces Petition. |
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| Uganda |
| Under the theme: Tackling Gun Violence In Uganda - A Practical View, the Uganda Action Network on Small Arms (UANSA) organised a visit to a hospital to aid victims of small arms. UANSA also held a press conference, collected photos for the Million Faces petition, held a public forum and several radio and TV shows throughout the week. |
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| Zambia |
| The Times of Zambia carried an opinion article by Dr. Robert Mtonga of the Zambian Action Network on Small Arms (ZANSA) calling on the government to implement the UN PoA and made recommendations for better policing of small arms proliferation. ZANSA also collected signatures from the public calling for stricter regulatory control on small arms and light weapons in Zambia and held an awareness-raising programme among secondary school students on the negative impact of arms. |
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| Zimbabwe |
The Centre for Defence Studies organised had programmes for officials from the Ministries of Defence and Home Affairs, the President’s office, University of Zimbabwe and Foreign Defence Advisors. The topics discussed included:
- Mapping the Problem: Global and regional patterns of SALW use in violence and crime
- Experiences and responses to SALW-related crime in the SADC and other local settings
- SALW in Zimbabwe: Existing SALW management initiatives and their effects
Officials from the Interpol/SARPCO and the ZRP CID were invited as resource persons.
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