5th African Regional Conference
Abuja, Nigeria, 7-9 March, 2003

Abuja Declaration

We, the delegates to the 5th IPPNW African Regional Conference under the Theme: War, a Preventable Evil in Africa (and Sub-theme: Child Soldiers, Small Arms, and Violent Conflicts in Africa) having met at Chelsea Hotel, Abuja, Nigeria, from 7-9 March, 2003;

Gravely concerned that the global illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects has exacerbated the cycle of armed conflicts with resultant death, disabilities, displacements, and instability in Africa, in which civilian populations especially children, women, youths, and the aged are the major victims;

Recognising the numerous and commendable efforts by African governments to address conflicts in general, and small arms proliferation in particular, including actions under the African Union Protocol on Small Arms and United Nations Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons, and other efforts leading up to these;

Acknowledging the role of African civil society organisations and the special role of African physicians and medical students in moving the programmes of action forward;

Supportive of the objectives of the regional, sub-regional and national initiatives such as the West African Moratorium on the Importation, Exportation and Manufacture of Small Arms and Light Weapons;

Supportive of the efforts at ameliorating the devastating effects of small arms proliferation on African populations;

Hereby call on African Governments to intensify efforts aimed at addressing the scourge of small arms proliferation by:

• Intensifying efforts at implementing the UN Programme of Action, the Conventions of the Rights of the Child,
• Encouraging initiatives such as the ECOWAS Moratorium :
• Expanding the geographical scope of the Moratorium to other sub-regions of Africa;
• Intensifying efforts at the creation and operationalisation of Early Warning and Early Response (EWER) Mechanisms;
• Taking particular interest in, and intensifying actions that ameliorate the devastating effects of small arms and light weapons on the most vulnerable segments of society, particularly women, children, and the aged;
• Engaging civil society as partners in the prevention and mitigation of conflicts and in peace building efforts at preventing war, a preventable evil in Africa.
• Addressing structural and fundamental issues that give rise to conflicts, and the demand and acquisition of Small arms and the recruitment of Child soldiers.

We the delegates gathered hereby, make this Abuja declaration on the 9th day of March, 2003 at Chelsea Hotel, Abuja, Nigeria.

Posted March 15, 2003