During the UN Department of Public Information (DPI/NGO) Conference in Mexico City from 9-11 September 2009, 340 organisations from 55 countries endorsed the Arms Trade Treaty, stronger gun control and disarming domestic violence. In the workshop 'Gun Violence – Women Speak Out' on 10 September, IANSA women discussed how women bear the brunt of the arms trade from sexual violence as a weapon of war, to armed domestic violence in countries at peace.
IANSA Women Maria Paula Cellone from Asociación para las Políticas Publicas (APP), Argentina, Margarita Guillé Tamayo from la Red Nacional de Refugios, México, Martha Figueroa from Grupo de Mujeres de San Cristóbal Las Casas (COLEM), Chiapas, México and Marie Claire Faray Kele, from the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), DRC/UK participated in the conference.
They discussed the consequences of the flow and mismanagement of conventional weapons on the lives and security of women all over the world. In addition, there were several workshops highlighting the role of women in disarmament and arms control in an era of global financial crisis. Women challenged patriarchy and linked militarism, masculinity and power.
The conference ended with an NGOs Declaration which included a call for the harmonisation of national gun laws and domestic violence legislation; for the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1325, and in particular to ensure the representation of women at all levels of decision-making on conflict prevention, management, and resolution as well on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1820 to prevent sexual violence in armed conflict. The Conference Declaration also includes:
"14. Harmonize laws on domestic violence with laws for the prevention of violence committed with small arms;"
The Declaration can be accessed online at www.un.org/wcm/webdav/site/ngoconference/shared/documents/NGO_Declaratio...
NGO representatives from Developing Countries in Latin America and Africa focused more on Small Arms and Other Conventional Disarmament. They called for a strong and effective Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) to regulate the global international trade in conventional arms, and the implementation of the UN Firearms Protocol and the UN Program of Action (PoA) on Small Arms and strengthen the UN Register of Conventional Arms.