Call for action: IANSA Women and the International Day of Peace in Africa

This year is also the African Union's Year of Peace and Security in Africa and the UN International Year of Youth. This year's International Day of Peace also coincides with the Summit on the Millennium Development Goals, 20-22 September 2010 and, importantly for us, the launch of The African Decade for Women, from 2010-2020.

The combination of these events give us an important opportunity to link our work to these key events and to raise awareness of the successes we have achieved to reduce gun violence in our countries and communities.

We urge and encourage you all to organise activities on International Day of Peace, 21 September 2010, and urge your governments to observe the day and celebrate it with meaningful action.

Activities may include: destruction of firearms, press release, press conference, conference discussion, opinion article, interviews with radio or television, school debates and linking the day with your projects and campaigns. You could also:

• Promote the Maputo protocol, and UN SCR 1325, 1820, 1888 and 1889;
• Highlight the links between the UN SCR 1325 and small arms control;
• Highlight links between UN SCR 1325 and an Arms Trade Treaty.

IANSA will develop a web page about your activities. Please send us your information and photos to be sure they are included.

For more background please see below:

1) The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

In Africa, armed violence has produced devastating effects on development progress. Everyday life is severely disrupted; safety and security of citizens are compromised, as access to basic services and livelihoods. Achieving the goals is essential for ending armed conflict and consolidates a sustainable peace.

Gun violence, encouraged by the illicit trade in small arms is an obstacle to achieving the MDGs in Africa. The interconnection between armed conflict, the weakening of states and little progress towards achieving the MDGs has emerged as a regional trend in Africa.

The Millennium Declaration devotes an entire section to issues of "peace, security and disarmament". And the fight against gun violence, promotion of socio-economic development and the establishment of democracy, remains dependent on a regional level based on a set of key principles, including, good neighbourliness, respect for territorial integrity and national sovereignty, non interference in the affairs of others, dialogue, cooperation and solidarity. In this respect, Africa deserves special attention from the international community as it is the region most affected by armed violence. It also suffers most from underdevelopment, despite its great economic potential and its considerable human resources.

2. The African Union: 2010 - Year of Peace and Security in Africa

On 31st August 2009, the African Union (AU) Assembly Declared 2010 the Year of Peace and Security in Africa. The year provides the Continent with an opportunity to take stock of, and celebrate, its achievements in peace-building. It is also an opportunity to review current efforts with a view to strengthening them and where appropriate, launching new initiatives for peace and security.

The Year of Peace and Security in Africa aims to:

• Give added momentum to peace and security efforts on the continent;
• Give greater visibility to ongoing and past efforts by the AU to promote peace and security;
• Speed up the implementation of commitments made by Member States to various AU instruments relating to peace and security;
• Coalesce efforts by stakeholders at all levels to promote peace and security; and
• Mobilise resources to support peace and security efforts on the continent.

On Peace Day, the AU is pushing for a day with no violence, no conflict, no fighting; where all Africans will experience peace simultaneously.

3. The International Day of Peace and the African woman

The African Decade for Women, 2010-2020, is a mechanism to accelerate the implementation and achievement of objectives in the various protocols, declarations and conventions adopted by the AU. Among them, four key documents:

1. Section 4/L of The AU Constitution;
2. The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa;
3. The Solemn Declaration on 'Gender and the politics of the AU on gender, and;
4. The AU's 'gender architecture'.

The African Union is urging member States to reach absolute gender parity for 2020, to conform with article 5 of the African Charter on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol).

4. 10th anniversary of UN SCR 1325

African women, like all women around the world are celebrating the 10th anniversary of Resolution 1325 the UN Security on Women, Peace and Security, October 31.

The resolution reaffirms the important role of women in conflict prevention and conflict resolution, peace negotiations, peace building, peacekeeping, regardless their situation.

5. The UN International Year of Youth

This year, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon declared that the commemoration of the International Day of Peace will focus on Youth and Development, under the slogan "Peace = Future”. Therefore, the International Day of Peace will also focus on the girl child.

Ban said, "Young people already play a crucial role in working for peace. Yet I know they can do even more. So, this international day comes with a challenge for young people everywhere: Expand on your work to build peace. Share your plans and ideas, with creativity and passion. The world's concerns will soon be in your hands”.