| In March, QCEA signed a joint letter with Amnesty International, Oxfam International, ISIS, Saferworld and Human Rights Watch, calling for a resolution in Parliament. On 15th March 2001, this was adopted at the Parliamentary Plenary session in Strasbourg. The text of the letter is reproduced below. For more information on Small Arms please consult the website of IANSA -International Action Network on Small Arms. Dear
Member of the European Parliament,
We,
the undersigned, are calling on you to schedule a time during the
March plenary session of the European Parliament to debate the urgent
problem of the uncontrolled spread of small arms and light weapons.
Along
with broad sectors of civil society, the international NGO community
has identified the proliferation and misuse of small arms as a serious
humanitarian challenge with implications for development, human
rights, peace and global justice. The ‘UN Conference on the
Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects’,
to be held in New York from 9-20 July 2001, is the first and most
significant global attempt to tackle the problem. Its outcome will
largely be determined by the forthcoming final Preparatory Committee
(PrepCom) meeting, to be held in New York from 19-30 March.
The
unregulated spread of small arms and light weapons (SALW) has become
internationally recognized as a key contributor to violent conflict,
crimes against humanity and serious human rights abuses. Governments
and non-state actors (government-sponsored militias as well as rebel
groups) in volatile regions of the world can easily obtain small
arms, which are cheap and readily available. The unregulated proliferation
of these weapons contributes to violations of international humanitarian
law by signaling to abusive actors that their conduct is not subject
to serious international scrutiny. Small arms are available to an
expanding circle of actors with decreasing levels of training, discipline
and accountability, including civilians and especially children.
The resulting culture of impunity encourages further human rights
abuse and has the potential to render armed conflict more lethal,
more protracted and more intractable. At conflict’s end, and
in the absence of disarmament and rehabilitation programs, these
arms often remain in the possession of people who, deprived of opportunity,
use them in criminal activity, further undermining security for
the civilian population.
The
UN Conference offers the international community the opportunity
to take concrete and binding measures, for example with regard to
the marking of weaponry, brokering activities, national and regional
codes of conduct on arms exports and transfers, increased transparency
in arms exports and transfers through annual reporting and the creation
of registers, and the implementation and enforcement of international
arms embargoes.
We
believe that the conference should not limit itself to illicit trafficking
but also address the authorized trade. Governments and Parliaments
need to assume responsibility for the proliferation of SALW, as
most weapons currently in circulation were at one point authorized
by governments. This indicates the need for better, and better enforced,
export controls, as well as enhanced security of stockpiles. In
addition, governments have an obligation to rein in private traffickers.
Several
powerful manufacturing and exporting states (such as the US, China
and Russia), supported by some other states who traditionally oppose
humanitarian and human rights efforts in the UN and who produce
small arms are threatening to block progress at the UN Conference
to protect their commercial and political interests, regardless
of the enormous humanitarian cost the uncontrolled proliferation
of SALW entails. The European Union has a special role to play,
comprising major exporting states, having enacted a Code of Conduct
to regulate its member states’ export practices, and having
developed a keen interest in conflict prevention, including in Africa,
the continent that arguably has suffered the most from the unloading
of weapons from Eastern Europe and China.
In
order for the Conference to make an important contribution to addressing
the human rights and development problems related to the spread
of SALW, we believe that it should not only lead to concrete commitments
based upon the existing obligations of states in international lawbut
also agree to effective monitoring of implementation and proper
follow-up through annual reports by participating states and a review
mechanism.
We
believe the European Union can make a tangible difference to the
outcome of the UN Conference if it operates in a unified and forceful
way in favour of these concrete measures. A strong call from the
European Parliament in favour of such an EU approach of tighter
control and more transparency would be highly beneficial.
We
therefore call on you to schedule a debate on this issue during
the March Plenary either separately or as an element in the debate
on the EU capabilities for civilian aspects of conflict prevention
and crisis management, following the oral questions by Elmar Brok
on behalf of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common
Security and Defence Policy to the Council and the Commission.
Of
course we are available to provide additional information should
you have further questions.
Sincerely
yours,
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