Workshop for Pacific Island States on Gun Violence and Illicit Small-Arms Trafficking from a Gender Perspective

The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD) is organizing a “Workshop for Pacific Island States on Gun Violence and Illicit Small-Arms Trafficking from a Gender Perspective” in Suva, Fiji, from 12-15 November 2019.

The event, which is part of a series of sub-regional and regional workshops on Women, Peace and Security, will gather senior-level representatives of leading national and regional non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working on gender-related issues and women’s empowerment, members of parliaments from Pacific States dealing with arms-control issues, representatives of the Pacific Island Forum Secretariat and the Government of Fiji, as well as international experts and UN officials.

Through training and practical exercises, the workshop will strengthen the understanding of the participants on the importance of gender-responsive small arms control and provisions of key international arms control instruments, such as the Arms Trade Treaty and the United Nations Programme of Action on small arms.

By applying a gender perspective, the workshop aims to sensitize disarmament-focused decision makers to the gendered impact of armed violence in the region. Participating NGO representatives and parliamentarians from various Pacific States will have the opportunity to gain a practical understanding of the international guidance provided in the Modular Small Arms Control Implementation Compendium (MOSAIC) with respect to women, men and the gendered nature of small arms and light weapons. Moreover, participants will exchange ideas, discuss strategies, and consider possibilities for joint initiatives to address the challenge of the illicit small arms trade and its differing impacts on women and men.

The United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council have, in numerous resolutions, called for the full and meaningful participation of women in peace, disarmament and arms control efforts, which the workshop will also promote. Besides strengthening national controls over small arms and compliance with respective international instruments, the workshop will contribute to realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular Goal 5 on gender equality and Goal 16 on peaceful societies, as well as Action 36 of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Agenda for Disarmament “Securing Our Common Future”.

The workshop is made possible with the financial contribution of the European Union and is part a multi-year programme in support of gender mainstreamed policies, programmes and actions in the fight against small arms trafficking and misuse, in line with the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

For more information please contact Yuriy Kryvonos at info@unrcpd.org.