IANSA Update 9 May 2008

Zimbabwe: The Chinese shipment shows the need for an ATT
Philippines: Ban on guns rejected
Jamaica: Brazilian Disarmament Statute used as model for success
US: Grants for destruction of weapons; Viktor Bout formally charged
Other news: WN bulletin, Congolese media review and female leadership report, FLARE newsletter, West Africa Peacebuilding Institute, Jobs

Zimbabwe: The Chinese shipment shows the need for an ATT

The case of the Chinese ship carrying arms destined for Zimbabwe demonstrates why the world needs a tough Arms Trade Treaty. A group of government experts (GGE) is meeting in New York from 12 May for a second round of discussions on the scope and parameters of such a treaty. Civil society is calling on the experts to push for an ATT based on International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law, which also recognises the effect of arms transfers on development. The treaty must also cover all types of weapons (including ammunition) and all types of transfers - including import, transit, loans and gifts. The latest information on the ship, and the campaign to prevent the arms reaching Zimbabwe can be found here.

Philippines: Ban on guns rejected

Gun laws in the Philippines may be subject to review, despite the rejection by Congress of a proposal for a nationwide ban on civilian ownership of guns. The Philippine Action Network on Small Arms (PhilANSA) called the rejection 'disheartening', but said it would continue to push for improved firearms controls. The Committee on Public Order and Safety is now planning to merge all current proposals for gun laws reforms. Civilian firearm holdings in the country are around 3.9 million, with an average of 18 people dying a day from gunshot wounds. Read more here. Read more here.

Jamaica: Brazilian Disarmament Statute used as model for success
Civil society representatives from Brazil are demonstrating the success of the Brazilian Disarmament Statute in Jamaica, in the hope that it may serve as a model to reduce gun violence on the island. The Disarmament Statute banned the carrying of firearms in public and imposed strict regulations on gun licensing. As a result, the firearm death rate dropped from 22 to 18 deaths per 100 000 between 2003 and 2006. The homicide rate in Jamaica in 2006 was 54 deaths per 100 000 people, with 75% of these deaths caused by gunshot wounds. Rubem Cesar Fernandes from Viva Rio was invited to Jamaica by UNDP and the Violence Prevention Alliance. Read more here.

US: Grants for destruction of weapons; Viktor Bout formally charged
TMore than US$4.4 million has been granted by the US Bureau of Political-Military Affairs to destroy small arms and other conventional weapons, landmines and explosive remnants of war. The Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement has divided this fund between 32 international organisations. For a full list of the grants, please see here.

Viktor Bout, the alleged arms trafficker, has been formally charged by the US government on four counts of terrorism. Bout was arrested in Thailand in March 2008 and the US is seeking his extradition for conspiring to sell millions of dollars worth of arms to Colombia's FARC rebels. Read more here.

Other news

• The latest IANSA Women's Network bulletin is now available online. This issue features the work of Breaking the Wall of Silence, an NGO working on firearms legislation reform in Namibia. Read more here.
• RODHECIC, another member of the Women's Network, has published a press review that monitors media reports on armed violence in DR Congo. The group also released a report on the role of women in the peacebuilding process and UNSCR 1325. Read more here and here.
• The FLARE (Freedom, Legality and Human Rights in Europe) Programme has released its first news bulletin. FLARE is developing a network of nearly 50 international civil society organisations aiming to fight against transnational organised crime. Read more here.
• The West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) announces the West Africa Peacebuilding Institute (WAPI) from 1-19 September 2008 at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Accra, Ghana. The deadline for application is 31 May 2008. Read more here.
• A new report from Saferworld in the UK explores possible approaches to
  the monitoring and implementation of an international Arms Trade Treaty. Read more here.
• Vacancies are available at Saferworld's Sudan office, the Institute of Security Studies in Ethiopia, the Small Arms Survey in Switzerland and UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNDIR). IANSA Job Board.

Join the IANSA Women's Network: email women@iansa.org

Join the Million Faces petition in support of a global Arms Trade Treaty