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Participants from 4 countries as well as from the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) took part in this Virtual Meeting. Ms. Royyan Isnanda from the Secretariat of AIPA, Hon. Mahjabeen Khaled from Bangladesh, Hon. Dorjee Wangmo from Bhutan, Hon. Shazia Marri from Pakistan and, Hon. Kula Segaran, Hon. Thomas Su, Hon. Chin Tong Liew, Hon. Maria Chin Abdullah and Hon. Kasthuri Patto from Malaysia.

Intended to be a follow-up of the Regional South and South East Asia Parliamentary Workshop Promoting Engagement of Women Parliamentarians in Addressing the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons held in Kuala Lumpur in 2019 and where the Kuala Lumpur Plan of Action was adopted, the meeting started with a few opening words by Mr. Peter Barcroft, Director of the International Peace and Security Program of PGA, who warmly thanked our participants for attending our meeting despite the ongoing covid-19 crisis striking South and Southeast Asia. Mr. Barcroft reminded that, despite the pandemic, we must continue working on the ratification and implementation of the ATT and the UN PoA. Mr. Barcroft also reminded the important role of Women Parliamentarians. Following, the Secretary General of PGA, Mr. David Donat Cattin, warmly welcomed our participants with a few words.

The first main part of our webinar consisted of an excellent presentation by Ms. Royyan Isnanda from the Secretariat of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) which underlined the main competencies of AIPA and its core pillars and functions.

The PGA International Peace and Security Program presentation consisted of a first part on the gun violence situation in South and Southeast Asia together with an overview of the United Nations Program of Action Addressing the Illicit Trade on Small Arms and Light Weapons and the International Tracing Instrument. PGA identified and discussed those regions in Asia most affected by the trafficking of small arms and light weapons, including in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Maldives. PGA’s IPSP Team also highlighted the role of women in the negotiation and mediation in post-conflict situations, following adoption of UNSCR Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security, in addition to flagging relevant references in subsequent UN Resolutions as well as the Outcome Document of the Third Review Conference of the UN PoA on SALW in 2018. 

The second part of the IPSP Team presentation was devoted to discussion of the Biennial Reporting requirements under the UN PoA SALW, drawing attention in particular to sample Reports submitted by certain States in 2018 and 2020. Individual country profile pages from the UNODA website, highlighting particular areas of assistance requested by States were also shared with Participants (https://smallarms.un-arm.org/).

During the presentation, MP of the Malaysian Parliament, Kasthuri Patto mentioned that in Malaysia, the illicit trade of SALW resonate with other issues such as drug trafficking, illicit fishing. She also highlighted the important dimension of the Women Peace and Security Agenda. Hon. Shazia Marri from Pakistan underlined the impact of SALW on children and their lives but also on the mothers and said that the Women need to be more protected, including during the negotiations. In resonance with Hon. Shazia Marri, Hon. Maria Chin Abdullah also mentioned the impact on children but also talked about the illicit arms inflows as well as the fact that producers are not being stopped. Finally, Hon. Kula Segaran enlightened us on the particular situation of Malaysia, as well as cross border trafficking of SALW linked with other types of smugglings.

PGA's International Peace and Security Team subsequently wrote to participants, as well as those other Members of Parliament from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand and the Maldives who registered but were unable to join/connect with the Webinar Workshop on the day itself, sharing with them a status report for each of their countries vis-à-vis meeting reporting requirements under the UN PoA on SALW, areas of international assistance that have been sought by their respective Governments, in particular in the context of assistance in drafting legislation addressing SALW regulation, import and export. The email correspondence with each MP highlighted different action points that could be taken to encourage their governments to ensure better implementation of the UN PoA on SALW. This subsequent correspondence also included sample recently introduced domestic firearms legislation as an example which could be usefully drawn from with respect to efforts to introduce similar such legislation in the countries of those MPs that had registered for this Webinar Workshop.  

PGA’s IPSP Team will continue to stay in contact with the Webinar Workshop Participants/Registrants in the coming months to encourage respective follow-up actions.