December, 2011 | UN Headquarters, New York

with Ministry of Defence to promote support for the PGA Colombo Plan of Action and the Control Arms Global Parliamentary Declaration on the Arms Trade Treaty

December 2011, a High Level Delegation of Parliamentarians from Suriname, including the Deputy Speaker and PGA President Hon. Dr. Ruth Wijdenbosch MP and accompanied by Hon. John Achong, principle negotiator within the Delegation of Suriname in the ongoing Preparatory Committee Meetings on the Arms Trade Treaty at the United Nations presented the PGA Colombo Plan of Action and the Control Arms Global Parliamentary Declaration to Minister of Defense of Suriname, Hon. Lamure Latour.

The purpose of this Meeting was to highlight the Colombo Plan of Action on Armed Violence and Development adopted at the 33rd Annual Forum of PGA in Colombo Sri Lanka in October 2011 as well as the Control Arms Global Parliamentary Declaration on the Arms Trade Treaty which PGA played a substantial role in drafting, together with partners from a number of other prominent NGOs in this field. Mr. Achong committed to keeping the National Assembly at all times informed of ongoing actions of the government in support of the ATT.

The ATT Declaration was subsequently signed by 19 Members of Parliament of Suriname, including by the Hon. Jennifer Simons, Speaker of the National Assembly - who hosted the meeting in her office in the National Assembly - as well as by Hon. Ricardo Panka, Chair of the Human Rights Committee in the National Assembly and the Leader of the Opposition Hon. Radjkoemar Randjietsingh, Chair of the National PGA Working Group. All members of the PGA National Working Group also signed, including incoming Chair of the National Group Hon. N. Cheung, the Secretary of the National Group - Hon. R. Wongsoredjo and the Treasury - Hon. A. Gajadin, the latter of whom also participated in the recent PGA Field Mission to Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Among other prominent MPs who also signed the Declaration were the former President of Suriname (now an MP) Hon. Runaldo Venetiaan and the former Speaker of Parliament, Hon. S. Somohardjo.

PGA is most appreciative of this extremely important and timely initiative taken by the PGA National Group in Suriname and expresses the sincere hope that its National Groups in many other countries worldwide will follow shortly in the footsteps of this significant precedent.

For more information, please contact Peter Barcroft, Director of Projects & Senior Program Officer, International Law & Human Rights, PGA at peter.barcroft@pgaction.org