IANSA Member Action: Engaging Parliamentarians on the Control of Small Arms and Reduction of Gun Violence (March 2020)

Governments have established important frameworks through the United Nations that attempt to curb the flow of illicit arms in order to reduce the tremendous impact that armed violence has on communities—whether in the form of conflict or crime. One of these vital frameworks is the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects (PoA), which was adopted by the General Assembly in 2001. IANSA and its member organizations work to strengthen the PoA and ensure its full and effective implementation. To do so, it is necessary for civil society to constructively engage, and maintain principled partnerships with elected officials such as parliamentarians
and officials in relevant government ministries like foreign affairs, defense, trade, justice, internal affairs, women and children. IANSA aims to increase its engagement with these officials and your participation in this effort is vital.

The member action paper below aims to provide guidance in how IANSA’s member organizations can engage with parliamentarians in order to accelerate the implementation of the PoA. The purpose is to build upon the momentum achieved at RevCon3 by helping to ensure that parliamentarians in particular, but also relevant government officials in your country, are aware of the official outcomes of RevCon3 as well as aware of IANSA’s recommended next steps for the PoA process.