Author Daniel Mack Daniel Mack is Policy and Advocacy Coordinator, Arms Control, Instituto Sou da Paz, São Paulo, Brazil. This article first appeared on the website The Small Arms Monitor: The Blog on September 10. The Ploughshares Monitor Volume 33 Issue 4 The Second Review Conference (RevCon) of the 2001 United Nations Programme of Action on Small Arms (PoA) was …
Violence begets violence
“It is after the attack that the village received guns for its defence. But then the threat to the village was greater. Why? The [rebels] would like to capture the guns.” Villager from Yakawewa in Sri Lanka, 1989 Every day, millions of people suffer from the direct and indirect consequences of the irresponsible arms trade: thousands are killed, others are …
Canada’s international firearms commitments
Author Kenneth Epps Presentation to the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, June 21, 2012 Thank you for the invitation to address the Standing Senate Committee on the proposed Firearms Information Regulations. My brief statement today focuses on the implications of the regulations for Canada’s international commitments related to reducing and eliminating firearms trafficking. Every UN member state …
A glaring omission: Landmark UN Resolution 1325 on women and peace makes no reference to small arms and light weapons
Author Maribel Gonzales The Ploughshares Monitor Spring 2012 Volume 33 Issue 1 United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325, unanimously adopted in 2000, was a turning point in how the international community addresses the security and rights of women during conflict, in the time leading up to conflict, and in post-conflict situations. Its underlying premise is that women build peace. …
Bill C-19 and Canada’s international firearms commitments
Author Kenneth Epps Speaking notes for the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, November 22, 2011 Thank you for the invitation to address the Standing Committee on Bill C-19. My name is Ken Epps and I am the Senior Program Officer at Project Ploughshares, a project of the Canadian Council of Churches on peacebuilding and disarmament issues based …
Guns and doctors
When I was raising my kids, my pediatrician talked to me a lot about safety issues: having the proper car seat, “childproofing” my house, having CO2 and smoke detectors. He also asked if there was a gun in the home (there was not) and whether it was safely stored. Yet, reports the Boston Globe, Florida lawmakers recently passed a “gag …
CARICOM Declaration on Small Arms
At the end of their annual summit this week, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states issued a declaration on small arms and light weapons (SALW). This is a highly significant development. Ploughshares and its partners in the Caribbean – CARICOM Implementation Agency on Crime and Security, Women’s Institute for Alternative Development, and the Caribbean Coalition for Development and Reduction of …
Talking Crime in the Caribbean with Francis Forbes: An Interview
The Ploughshares Monitor Winter 2010 Volume 31 Issue 4 Gang and organized crime-related activities, including drug trafficking accompanied by epidemic levels of gun violence, threaten the democratic fabric of the Caribbean subregion. Between 2005 and 2008, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) registered 9,733 homicides (CARICOM 2010), the highest rates in the world. Project Ploughshares is embarking on a major collaborative project to …
Project Ploughshares Alerts Prime Minister to International Implications of Bill C-391
Open letter on Bill C-391, an act to amend the Criminal Code and the Firearms Act (registration of firearms). September 14, 2010 Prime Minister Stephen Harper Michael Ignatieff, Leader of the Liberal Party Jack Layton, Leader of the New Democrat Party Gilles Duceppe, Leader of the Bloc Québécois Re: Bill C-391 On March 31, 2009, I wrote to you concerning …
Gender and the UN Programme of Action: Including All Voices
Author Maribel Gonzales The Ploughshares Monitor Autumn 2010 Volume 31 Issue 3 The 2001 UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (PoA) provides a framework for controlling the illicit use and proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW) at the national, regional, and global levels. …