Greetings of peace and blessing from URI–Africa.
This is to inform you that URI Africa participated at a two-day meeting of the AU-Regions Steering Committee on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW), and Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR), which took place at the African Union Headquarters, in Addis Ababa, from 23 to 24 June 2015.
The meeting brought together representatives of the Steering Committee including the Community of Sahelo-Saharan States (CEN-SAD), the Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the East African Community (EAC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), Economic Community of Central African States ECOWAS), the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), and the Regional Centre on Small Arms (RECSA). Other organizations attending the meeting as observers were: the European Union, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC), the United Nations Department of Peace-Keeping Operations DPKO) and the World Bank Transitional Demobilization and Reintegration Program.
The meeting offered its members the opportunity to provide updates on their efforts to combat the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, and to promote disarmament, demobilization and reintegration. Participants further exchanged views on ways and means of supporting and strengthening each other’s endeavors to enhance synergies in the control of the illicit proliferation, circulation and trafficking in SALW, as well as in DDR initiatives across the continent through sharing of information, identifying gaps and priorities and exploring avenues and opportunities for enhanced coordination and collaboration.
The African continent continues to experience cycles of conflict and terrorism fueled by the easy availability of small arms and light weapons. This has led to devastating effects such as deaths of innocent civilians, gender-based violence, refugees, internal displacement of communities, stagnated development, and human rights violations, among other negative effects.
It is against this background that URI-Africa took part in this meeting and also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Regional Centre on Small Arms (RECSA) to address the issue of problems resulting from proliferation of small arms and light weapons, and to work together against small arms and light weapons proliferation in Africa.
May Peace Prevail in Africa.
May Peace Prevail on Earth.
In peace and gratitude,
Mussie Hailu, URI African Continental Coordinator
