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Disarmament that saves lives
Summary
The Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Parliamentary Forum on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PFSALW), Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (PNND), the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP), and the World Future Council (WFC) are co-organizing a webinar on parliamentary action to curb uncontrolled flows of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW).
Small Arms and Light Weapons cause over 223,000 casualties yearly, three quarters of whom die in a non-conflict setting. In addition, uncontrolled SALW proliferation increases insecurity in impacted regions and has a rippling effect on every sector of society - including an estimated economic cost of violence in society of $14 trillion per year (UNODA, 2020; IEP, 2021).
In light of the contemporary challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, military budgets increasing to historical heights, and growing tensions around the world - preventing and reducing SALW-related violence is more important than ever. Parliamentarians have a core responsibility towards their constituents’ security, there is a plethora of good practices, policies, and treaties that can be used by parliamentarians to reduce the impact that uncontrolled arms flows have on society. These different points of action will be explored in depth in this webinar.
Leaning on recommendations from the small arms and light weapons chapter of the joint publication “Assuring our Common Future”, this webinar will further highlight the role, opportunities and challenges that parliamentarians have to combat the uncontrolled proliferation of SALW.
The event will take place online. While session 1 will be in English only, session 2 will be English, French, and Spanish.
The registration links are:
10 March, Session 1: Timed for Asia/Pacific 7:00 - 8:30 CET (English):
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HpCTFsblQ5mWnm3H9TzT8g
10 March, Session 2: Timed for Africa, Europe and America: 16.30 - 18:00 CET (10:30 – 12:00am CST) (English, French, and Spanish):
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_MiRylGOtSKSBb9tmIG9qkw