Aiming For Prevention
Conference Summary
Summary of IPPNW Affiliate and
IANSA Public Health Network Activities
at the 2nd Biennial Meeting of States on the UN Programme
of Action on Small Arms (UNPoA) and Light Weapons
New York City
July 10-16, 2005
Purpose of the UN
Meeting
This was the 2nd Biennial Meeting of States on the UN Programme
of Action on Small Arms (UNPoA) and Light Weapons, enacted
in 2001. It was not a session to make policy but to review
progress on goals of UNPoA that include addressing the international,
regional, national and local effects of arms use and trade,
gun policies, and country responsibilities. Many, many countries
spoke of the need for a multilateral approach and the understanding
that injuries and death from small arms violence is a cross-border
and global challenge. The Global South countries seemed to
be universal in their appeal for resources and help to mitigate
the arms problem in their countries.
Attending from IPPNW
Maria Valenti, Rebecca Cyr, intern, from CO and Drs. Robert
Mtonga (Zambia), Emperatriz Crespin (El Salvador) and Balkrishna
Kurvey (India). Unable to attend at the last minute were Drs.
Walter Odhiambo (Kenya) and Simon Bokongo (DR Congo.)
Hosting of the IANSA
Public Health Network Meeting
The IANSA Public Health Network coordinated by IPPNW held
a panel presentation and evening reception side event to the
BMS attended by about 60 people entitled "Aiming for
Prevention: Public Health and the UN Programme of Action."
Panel members included Dr. Kathy Kaufer-Christoffel, IANSA
Board member, Dr. David Meddings World Health Organization
(WHO)/Geneva, Dr. Robert Mtonga IPPNW/Zambia, and Dr. Emperatriz
Crespin, IPPNW/El Salvador. Dr. Vic Sidel just returning from
his NATO trip generously took time out of his busy schedule
to attend and provide an introduction to the history and work
of IPPNW. Dr. Diego Zavala, an epidemiologist from Puerto
Rico with whom we are working to craft a multinational project,
traveled from a conference in Baltimore just to be with us
for the event and spoke a little about our exciting project
for which we are seeking funding (it involves 6 IPPNW affiliates
and 4 other countries from the Global South.)
In addition to many NGOs we had some members of the local
health community, two members of the Canadian delegation as
well as the German Ambassador attend.
Participation in
the Official General Delegate's Meeting
Observing Sessions
The NGO community lobbied hard to be allowed representation
at the general assembly of delegates. Therefore, we made every
effort to attend all allowed sessions as observers. This also
enabled us to make contacts with delegates and to have first-hand
knowledge of the statements.
Speaking
Two IPPNW affiliate leaders - Robert Mtonga MD, Zambia, and
Emperatiz Crespin MD El Salvador -participated on a selected
panel of NGO representatives that addressed the entire delegate
assembly. Our topic was public health. Robert and Emperatriz
did a superb job making the case for human health issues.
They each answered several questions from the panel moderator,
and at the conclusion Dr. Mtonga said, "Guns are bad
for health."
Their comments concluded with the showing
of the One Bullet Story developed by IPPNW Kenya shown on
the huge plenary session screen, narrated by Dr. Mtonga. It
was extremely moving, and we heard from many delegates that
it was very emotional for them. It proved to us that our focus
on the human face of suffering may help to move policy.
Meeting with Delegates
A major goal of our mission was to meet and talk with delegates
from our own and IPPNW affiliate countries and those that
might be sympathetic to our issues, to raise our concerns
and make contacts for follow-up. One of the most exciting
moments came after we met with the El Salvadoran delegates
and they subsequently included a mention of MESARES (IPPNW/El
Salvador) work in El Salvador in their official statement.
On other notes, Dr. Mtonga was instrumental in encouraging
representatives from outside the defense ministry of his home
country Zambia to attend the meeting, and Dr. Kurvey met with
the India delegation and established a rapport for followup.
Members of the Canadian and German delegations attended our
Public Health Network side event. We also had brief conversations
with delegates from many other countries to raise the health
issue.
Dr. Mtonga said, "I have had occasion
to be accosted by Ambassadors from Canada, Germany, Kenya,
Malawi, Netherlands among them who expressed happiness with
our presentations especially the two "One Bullet Stories",
one from Zambia and another from Kenya which we showed. Said
His excellence from Germany, "linking dollars to human
suffering strikes a chord with most Ambassadors here at the
BMS.'"
Participation in
Side Meetings of Other Organizations
We all participated in as many side events as possible, that
were typically held during lunch hours or in the evening.
We raised the IPPNW name and health concerns, as well as local
IPPNW programs we thought were making a difference. Examples
include a session on civilian gun possession at which Emperatiz
spoke about her success in El Salvador in using research for
advocacy, and a session on National Focal Points where Maria
raised the question of health representation on country commissions.,
During one noontime presentation the Arias
Foundation screened their documentary "Weapons of Violence,"
in which Dr. Crespin and her husband Dr. Ademar Guardado both
appeared in several segments. It was very well attended. Dr.
Crespin was introduced afterward and several people asked
her questions.
Conducting Public
Health Network Strategy Session
Feedback from our event was very positive and I think we were
able to broaden our fledgling network a bit, as evidenced
by a follow-up strategy session we held the next morning to
discuss next steps for the PH Network. It was attended by
some new faces from Syria, Angola, Malawi and S. Africa. We
discussed preparations for several important upcoming events
in 2006 - the BMS Prepcom in January, the 8th World Injury
Conference in S. Africa in April, the World Peace Forum in
June and the BMS Review conference in June-July. We identified
several concrete steps to take regarding communications, presentations,
and establishing leaders in different regions, which we hope
IPPNW affiliates may help facilitate. If you are interested
in the minutes, please let me know.
(NGO Panel - The
following was posted on the web)
Representatives of Member States,
International Organizations, Civil Society and NGOs
Present Views in Two Panels, Thematic Discussion
NEW YORK, 13 July (UN Headquarters) -- Member States,
civil society groups and international and non-governmental
organizations presented their views on ways to stop the proliferation
of small arms and light weapons during two panels and a thematic
discussion today, as the Second Biennial Meeting to assess
progress on a 2001 action plan against the illicit trade in
small arms continued its work.
The Meeting, which forms part of a follow-up
to the July 2001 Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small
Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, is considering
implementation of an action plan that identifies national,
regional and global measures to combat the illicit small arms
trade, focusing on legislation, stockpile management, weapons
destruction, and identification and tracing, among other things.
Convened in anticipation of the 2006 Conference
that will review progress in implementing the 2001 Programme
of Action, the five-day meeting provides an opportunity for
States, international and regional organizations, as well
as civil society to exchange information on the Programme?s
implementation, consider regional and international initiatives
and highlight successes and best practices in controlling
and curbing the spread of small arms and light weapons.
Participants in the first non-governmental
organization panel appealed to the international community
to acknowledge the legitimate role of legal firearms owners,
including hunters and sport shooters. Speakers highlighted
the hunters? contribution to wildlife conservation efforts
and their positive impact on national economies. Cooperation
between governments and non-governmental organizations, under
the Programme of Action, should be as broad as possible and
include non-governmental organizations from the hunting and
sport shooting community, they said.
Also emphasized in the presentations was
the need to take into account the views of legitimate arms
brokers. The import-export industry was willing to offer its
time, resources and expertise to assist the group of government
experts that would soon be appointed to study the issue of
brokering, one speaker said.
The second non-governmental organization
panel focused on the human costs of small arms and light weapons,
regulation measures and transfer controls. Noting that misuse
of small arms and light weapons led to numerous casualties,
trauma, lack of development, lost opportunities, violence
and conflict, speakers agreed that small arms affected the
lives of individuals and whole communities. For every one
of the estimated 350,000 people who died from small arms use
and misuse every year, the World Health Organization (WHO)
cautioned that with physical injuries, mental and emotional
trauma may well be three times that number.
Non-governmental organizations and civil
society partnerships played an important role in addressing
the small arms threat, the Meeting was told. By building on
the 2001 Programme of Action, the 2006 Review Conference should
ensure better implementation of existing plans, while also
adding new and binding agreements that would curb transfers
to non-State actors, govern the licensed trade in small arms,
limit civilian possession and control arms already present
in communities.
Weapons collection and destruction; stockpile
management; disarmament, demobilization and reintegration
programmes; resource mobilization; capacity-building; and
import/export controls were among the issues addressed in
the thematic discussion, which took place this afternoon.
Speakers stressed the critical role of
weapons destruction in the disarmament, demobilization and
reintegration of former combatants, noting that excess stocks
of small arms and light weapons were a major source of arms
for terrorists and criminal gangs. Such incentives as amnesties
and weapons in exchange for development were among the success
stories cited by participants as they focused on lessons to
be learned from existing weapons collection programmes. Country
representatives shared their national experiences in that
regard, considered the main remaining challenges and examined
options for future cooperation.
On stockpile security and management, delegates
voiced concerns about the need for capacity-building to ensure
tight security and management of weapons stockpiles. There
was wide agreement that the elimination of stocks and the
destruction of excess weapons and ammunition led to improved
security capabilities. Some speakers noted that their governments
had adopted legislation to address the safe storage of small
arms, and set forth sanctions for violators. Others stressed
the need to establish common standards and procedures for
the effective control of weapons stockpiles and inventory
management. Greater international cooperation, especially
at the regional and subregional levels, along with increased
information exchange was critical in those efforts.
Participating in the ensuing panel discussion
were: Rebecca Peters, Director of International Action Network
on Small Arms (IANSA); Christiane Agboton-Johnson, President,
Mouvement contre les armes légères en Afrique
occidentale (MALAO); Balfour Amoa, Chairman, West African
Action Network on Small Arms (WAANSA); Folade Mutota, Director,
Women's Institute for Alternative Development (WINAD); Karin
Wilson, Member, Million Mom March; Emperatriz Crespin, International
Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW); Robert
Mtonga, IANSA Public Health Network; Denis Mizne, Director,
Instituto Sou da Paz; Ema Tagicakibau, Pacific Concerns Resource
Centre; Jessica Soto, Director, Amnesty International Philippines
Section; Fadi Abi Allam, President, Permanent Peace Movement;
Daniel Luz, Researcher, School of Peace Culture, Autonomous
University of Barcelona; Olga Palinkasev, Project Coordinator,
Centre for Security Studies; Ilhan Berkol, Researcher, GRIP,
Brussels; Luis Alberto Cordero, Arias Foundation for Human
Progress; and Noel Stott, Researcher, Institute for Security
Studies.
The discussion was moderated by Loretta
Bondi, a founding member of IANSA.
Several panellists focused on the human cost of small arms
and light weapons, which included loss of lives, trauma, lack
of development, lost opportunities, violence and conflict.
Small arms affected the lives of individuals and whole communities.
For every one of the estimated 350,000 people who died from
small arms use and misuse every year, the World Health Organization
(WHO) cautioned that there may well be three times the number
of survivors with physical injuries, as well as mental and
emotional trauma.
A speaker said that health-care services
in some developing countries were over-burdened with gunfire
victims, who often had poor chances of survival. A single
hospital in El Salvador, for example, could see 60 victims
in one day. In treating victims of small arms, attention was
diverted from such important issues as children's vaccinations,
the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and maternal health.
Guns were bad for health, a physician said,
summarizing the discussion on misuse of small arms. Physicians
needed to address their concerns to governments, helping the
international community to understand the impact of small
arms and light weapons on national health systems. The public-health
sector could help evaluate the implementation of the Programme
of Action and present its recommendations on the matter. By
removing guns from circulation, governments were not only
saving lives, they were also saving money. Prevention was
better than cure.
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