Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA), in cooperation with ChangeMaker: Society for Social and Economic Development in Dhaka, will be hosting a Regional Asia Parliamentary Workshop to Promote Improved Regulation of Small Arms and Light Weapons and Mitigation of Armed Violence, at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from 24-25 August, 2015, says a press release.
Members of Parliament from across the region, as well as representatives from the Security/Defense Sector and civil society in Bangladesh will attend the Workshop. A representative from the United Nations Regional Office for Peace and Disarmament (UNRCPD), based in Bangkok, will also participate.
By way of background, it has been well established that the widespread misuse of small arms and light weapons has resulted in a wide range of negative human, humanitarian and socio-economic consequences including loss of life, significant injuries and also contributed to the commission of conflict-related crimes such as war crimes, crimes against humanity and rape.
Unchecked, inadequate regulation of SALW continues to pose a serious threat to peace, security, stability and sustainable development in many parts of the world, including Asia. The international community has adopted a number of Instruments to address this serious international challenge, ranging from treaties to political instruments. They include the UN Firearms Protocol, the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons, the International Tracing Instrument and, most recently, the Arms Trade Treaty.
The purpose of this Workshop is to raise awareness among participants on the most important aspects of these instruments as well as to provide additional information on parliamentary prerogatives available to Members of Parliament to assist in promoting compliance with these multilateral arrangements/agreements in their respective countries. The Workshop is being supported by the Foreign Ministry of the Government of Finland.
