Catalysts, Campaigners, and Champions of Change - Convening Mobilizing and Enabling Women Parliamentarians in Africa in Addressing Needs Identified in Requests for International Assistance in 2018 National Reports on the Implementation of the UN Program of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons and the International Tracing Instrument
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Participants from 5 countries took part in this Webinar. Hon. Webster Shamu, Chair, Foreign Relations Committee, from Zimbabwe, Hon. Emna Ben Hamid from Tunisia, Hon. Noufo Lea Gnogmire from Togo, Hon. Lutfi Sheriff Mohamed Omar from Somalia and a former MP from Mali, Aissata Touré Diallo.
The PGA International Peace and Security Program presentation consisted of a first part on the Silencing the Guns initiative of the African Union 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 Africa most affected by the trafficking of small arms and light weapons, including in the Sahel region, the Chad Lake basin, Central Africa, the Horn of Africa, Eastern Congo, Sudan and Libya. 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, former MP and Chairperson of Mali's Foreign Affairs Committee, Ms. Aissata Toure Diallo, spoke about the difficulty of implementing these measures, even with engagement by international organizations in Mali.
In a closely related development, another PGA Member Parliamentarian from Burkina Faso, Hon. Reine Sakande, Member of the National Assembly’s Defense and Security Committee, wrote to the PGA IPSP Team a few days previously to confirm that she would be working with her colleagues in this Committee on ensuring the adoption of a new, second Bill on the General Regime of Firearms, their Parts and Components, Ammunition, and other Related Materials, to be shortly transmitted from the Government to the National Assembly. This Bill will allow Burkina Faso to equip itself with a legal instrument to face the current challenges related to the proliferation of firearms and their use, but also to comply with the main international legal instruments relating to firearms. On account of a prior commitment, Hon. Reine Sakande was unable to join this particular Webinar Workshop.
Burkina Faso - Compte rendu du Conseil des ministres du mercredi 31 mars 2021
Compte rendu du Conseil des ministres du mercredi 31 mars 2021 - RTB
"...Le second projet de loi porte régime général des armes à feu, de leurs pièces, éléments, munitions et autres matériels connexes au Burkina Faso. Ce projet de loi permettra à notre pays de se doter d’un instrument juridique pour faire face aux défis actuels liés à la prolifération des armes à feu et à leur utilisation. Le projet de loi permettra également à notre pays de se conformer aux principaux instruments juridiques internationaux et communautaires relatifs aux armes à feu. Il s’agit notamment de la Convention de la CEDEAO sur les armes légères et de petits calibres (ALPC), leurs munitions et autres matériels connexes, du Protocole contre la fabrication et le trafic illicites des armes à feu (PAF) additionnels à la Convention des Nations Unies contre la criminalité transnationale organisée (UNTOC) et du Traité sur le commerce des armes (TCA). Le Conseil a marqué son accord pour la transmission dudit projet de loi à l’Assemblée nationale...."
PGA's International Peace and Security Team subsequently wrote to participants, as well as those other Members of Parliament from Nigeria, Somalia, Kenya, Comoros, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Morocco, Togo, Gambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Cameroon, Chad and Tunisia who registered but were unable to join/connect with the Webinar Workshop on the day itself, largely on account of technical issues/challenges, 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 from 3 African States (Liberia, Tanzania, and Sierra Leone) as recent examples 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.
