The goal of the Prepcom was to further discuss the Treaty that would be the first legally binding, international framework for the transfer of conventional weapons including small arms.

Shauna reports that on Monday 12 July, at the opening session of the Prepcom, the Sierra Leonean Parliamentarian, Dr. Bernadette Lahai, stated that gender should be a founding principle of an ATT because armed conflict is never gender neutral. Dr. Lahai is the only delegate to mention gender at the PrepCom thus far.

She explained that Sierra Leone suffered because such a Treaty does not exist and is long overdue. She reported that Sierra Leone began initiatives around small arms control after the civil war ended but even so, eight years later the country is still struggling to recover from the conflict.

In a side event at the ATT Prepcom “Facing Violence, Fighting Poverty; How can a Robust Arms Trade Treaty Support Development?” Dr. Lahai proclaimed, “Women and development are synonymous.” Sierra Leone is the 17th country to create a National Action Plan to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1325 to push for gender mainstreaming in post-conflict countries and peacebuilding initiatives. She announced that after being plagued with an eleven year war, Sierra Leone more than ever, is ready to cooperate and move forward with the ATT.