Global Week of Action Against Guns Launched in 30 Countries

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Press release \| Monday 2 June 2003 Global Week of Action Against Guns Launched in 30 Countries First Global Coordinated Campaign Against "The Real Weapons of Mass Destruction"

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in 30 countries have launched a Week of Action to draw attention to the human toll of small arms proliferation. Small arms – including handguns, rifles and military firearms - kill one person every minute worldwide. With this in mind the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) has co-ordinated a Global Week of Action (2-8 June) to raise awareness of the small arms problem and the responsibility of governments to make their communities safer. At least 80 events in 30 countries are planned for the Week of Action. They include youth awareness days, film screenings, public marches, round table discussions, school visits, gun and toy gun destruction events, student poster and essay competitions, and the transformation of guns into sculpture. Countries taking part in the Week of Action include: Senegal, Nigeria, South Africa, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Malawi, Fiji, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Macedonia, United Kingdom, Belgium, Belarus, Turkey, Argentina, Guatemala, El Salvador, Paraguay, Uruguay, Lebanon. The Week of Action is being held a month in advance of the UN Biennial Meeting of States (BMS) on Small Arms scheduled for 7-11 July, which will review progress made by UN member states in implementing the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms, a set of measures designed to reduce the proliferation and misuse of guns. NGOs are using the Week of Action to remind governments of the commitment they made and hold them to account. Rebecca Peters, Director of IANSA, said: “Small arms are the real weapons of mass destruction. During the seven days of the Week of Action an estimated 9,600 citizens will die worldwide from gun violence. For too long human security has been sacrificed in the name of national defence. NGOs are demanding that governments reverse this imbalance and put the safety of their people first.” Contact information for regional spokespersons and event organisers is attached. Please visit http://www.iansa.org/action/week_of_action.htm for information on specific Week of Action activities. You may also contact Devorah Moritz in the UK at + 44 (0)20 7467 1192 or Emile LeBrun in the Netherlands at +31(0)6 4848 2004 for more information.
NOTES TO EDITORS 1. The International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) is the global network of civil society organisations working to stop the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons (SALW). 2. IANSA has more than 500 member NGOs in nearly 100 countries, with representation from all the major gun-affected regions. IANSA is composed of a wide range of organisations concerned with small arms, including policy development organisations, national gun control groups, research institutes, aid agencies, faith groups, victims, human rights and community action organisations. 3. In July 2001, IANSA was instrumental in raising and unifying the voices of NGOs at the United Nations Small Arms Conference in New York, the first world gathering on small arms and light weapons. 4. IANSA will be a key player at the UN Biennial Meeting of States (BMS) on Small Arms taking place in New York from 7-11 July 2003. IANSA will keep NGOs and the media informed about the BMS and the global movement against gun violence. 5. IANSA’s work has been supported by funders including the Governments of UK, Belgium, Sweden and Norway, as well as the Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Compton Foundation, Ploughshares Fund, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Open Society Institute, Samuel Rubin Foundation and Christian Aid.

Global Week of Action Event Spokespersons
Angola Frederic Mvemba Angolan Action Network on Small Arms peaceangola@yahoo.com Tel: +244 9234 6685 Argentina Gabriel Conte jmfernandezramirez@speedy.com.ar Tel: +54 (261) 425 4528 Balkans Natasa Dokovska Balkan Action Network on Small Arms detstvo@detstvo.org.mk Tel: +389 (70) 217 819 Bangladesh Syed Nurul Alam South Asia Partnership – Bangladesh sapbdesh@citechco.net Tel: +880 (2) 811 2103 Belarus Dr. Iouri Zagoumennov Support Centre for Associations & Foundations izag@user.uinibel.by Tel: +375 172 105 751 Belgium Ilhan Berkol Group de recherche et d’information sur la paix et la sécurité (GRIP) i.berkol@grip.org Tel: +32 (2) 24 18420 Brazil Denis Mizne Instituto Sou da Paz denis@soudapaz.org Tel: +55 (11) 3812 1333 Burundi Raymond Kamenyero Burundi Network Against Light Weapons cap@cbinf.com Cambodia Neb Sinthay Working Group on Weapons Reduction wgwrdirector@online.com.kh Tel: +855 (23) 216 400 Chad Amnesty International – Chad diocndja@intnet.td Congo-Brazzaville Raphaël Edgar Abengovounet Rassemblement National des Blessés et Victimes de Guerres Civiles (RANABLEVI) rabengovounet@yahoo.fr Tel: +243 68 64 30 Cote D'Ivoire Jean - Jaques Klarou OIJMP oijmp_org@yahoo.fr Democratic Republic of Congo Janvier Kabwe Fikirini AVREO avreo2001@yahoo.fr Tel: +257 923 983 Matthieu Kisose Kasha CEFI Kisose_kasha@yahoo.fr.or Simon Bokongo Loko Kawaya IPPNW amcpaix@hotmail.com Tel: +871 683 132 899 El Salvador Marcela Smutt Program to Create a Non-Violent Society in El Salvador Marcela.smutt@undp.org +503 263 0066 x213 Fiji Ema Tagicakibau IANSA Pacific etag@pcrc.org.fj Tel: +679 3304 649	France Arielle Denis Mouvement de la Paix arielle.denis@globenet.org Tel: +33 (1) 40 12 09 12 Ghana Afi Yakubu FOSDA fosad_africa@yahoo.com Tel +233 (21) 811 291 Guatemala Mayda de León Wantland Instituto de Enseñanza para el Desarrollo Sostenible mdeleon@iepades.org.gt Tel: +502 366 2616 Haiti Denise Davis American Friends Service Haiti ddavis@afsc.org India Mrs. Vijayam Raghunathan South Asian Federalists Vijayam.R@ril.com Tel: +91 (22) 2401 2561 Dr Balkrishna Kurvey Indian Institute for Peace, Disarmament & Environmental Protection iipdep@nagpur.dot.net.in Tel: +91 (712) 2745 806 Davinder Singh Ahluwalia Youth Welfare Club davinder1958@rediffmail.com Binalakshmi Nepram South Asia Network on Small Arms Sadibeins@Rediffmail.com Diptendu Mukerji South Asia Against Small Arms Network (SASANET) swadhina@vsnl.com Shanti Ranjan Martin Luther King Centre for Democracy and Human Rights livelydemocracy@yahoo.com Jordan Rania F. Atieh Regional Human Security Center (RHSC) r-atieh@id.gov.jo Tel: +962 (6) 5656 837 Kenya Jan Kamenju Security Research & Information Centre sric@africaonline.co.ke Tel: +254 (20) 444 9503 Lebanon Fadi Abi Allam Permanent Peace Movement ppmleb@hotmail.com Tel: + 961 3 327 729 Liberia Thomas Brima Centre for Democratic Empowerment tnbrima@yahoo.com Tel: +231 22 69 59 Malawi Udule Mwakasungura Centre for Human Rights & Rehabilitation undule@sdnp.org.mw Tel: +265 08 878 775 Nepal Shekhar Raj Bastakoti Centre for Research and Global Communications crgc@hotmail.com Nigeria Adedeji Ebo Africa Strategic and Peace Research Group ebo@wwlkad.com Dr Ime John International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) imejohn@yahoo.com Tel: +234 802 305 4722	Pakistan Amin Community Appraisal and Motivation Programme (CAMP) camp_pakistan@hotmail.com Dr.Tufail Muhammad Child Rights and Abuse Committee of the Pakistan Paediatric Association tufailm@brain.net.pk Paraguay Cecilia Gortari Criminology Society of Paraguay cecigortari@hotmail.com Tel: +595 (21) 602 979 Philippines Fred Lubang Gaston Z. Ortigas Peace Institute peace@codewan.com.ph Tel: (+632) 426 6122 Senegal Christiane Agboton-Johnson MALAO malaosene@hotmail.com Tel: +221 824 0933 South Africa Joseph Dube Gun Free South Africa joseph@gfsa.org.za Tel: +27 (11) 403 4590 Sri Lanka James Arputharaj Williams South Asia Partnership International sapi@eureka.lk Tel: +94 (1) 507 009 Sweden Peter Brune Swedish Fellowship of Reconciliation (SweFOR) peter.brune@swefor.org +46 (8) 453 6843 Tanzania Benedict Chacha Peter Foundation HELP fhelp@juasun.net Tel: +255 (0)28 2620575 Emmanuel Makongoro Green Hope Organisation greenhope98@yahoo.com Thailand Yeshua Moser-Puangsuwan Nonviolence International Southeast Asia Office seasia@nonviolenceinternational.net Tel: +662 934 3289 Turkey Ms Tanzer Gezer Umut Foundation tanzer.gezer@dedeman.com.tr Tel: +90 (212) 275 76 00 ext1003 Uganda People With Disabilities Uganda Richard Mugisha pwd@imul.com Tel: +256 41 530 712 United Kingdom Campaign Against the Arms Trade Chris Cole chris.cole@caat.demon.co.uk Tel: +44 (20) 7281 0297 Nicola Johnston International Alert njohnston@international-alert.org +44 (20) 7627 6800 United States Nicola Reindorp Oxfam International nicola.reindorp@oxfaminternational.org Uruguay Leonor Rodriguez Mujer Ahora leonores@adinet.com.uy Tel: +598 (2) 903 9019