PRESS INVITATION: Briefing Session for Indian Parliamentarians on United Nation’s Process for an Arms Trade Treaty

Briefing Session for Indian Parliamentarians on
United Nation’s Process for an Arms Trade Treaty

Date: Monday, 3rd August 2009
Venue: Deputy Chairman’s Hall, Constitution Club, Rafi Marg, New Delhi.
Time: 3 pm to 6pm

Organized by
Control Arms Foundation of India

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New Delhi: The world military spending has broken the trillion dollar mark. It is estimated to have reached $ 1464 billion in 2008. Still there is still no comprehensive, binding international treaty on the trade in conventional arms worldwide. There are more regulations in music and film industry but none in arms. And worldwide 2000 people die every day due from armed violence caused by unregulated arms trade.

For the first time, at a historic consensus on 17 July 2009, at the United Nations General Assembly, all governments agreed that international action is needed to address the problem of the unregulated arms trade. This happened at the first Open-Ended Working Group on an Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) that took place from 13 to17 July 2009 at the United Nations headquarters in New York. Member States agreed to begin negotiations when they reconvene in October 2009 at the United Nations First Committee on Disarmament. Any further delay would means more lost lives.

Almost no states, including India seriously questioned the merit of developing international regulations and a majority of the countries urged that negotiations begin on an ATT.

On Monday, 3rd August 2009, Control Arms Foundation of India is organizing a Briefing Session for Indian Parliamentarians on the United Nations Process for an Arms Trade Treaty’. The purpose of the meeting is to make the parliamentarians aware of the deadly trade in arms which is a huge threat to human security and yet operates without global binding regulations. An Arms Trade Treaty would “establish common international standard for import, export and transfer of conventional arms”. It would prevent diversion, misuse, illegal transfer and would induce transparency. The arms trade treaty would fill the gap helping to prevent the weapons so easily transferred across the globe.

Programme schedule:

3.00 pm Welcome address by Ms Binalakshmi Nepram, Secretary General, CAFI

3.10 pm Chair of session: Lt. Gen (retd) Dr B. S. Malik, President, CAFI and Executive Council Member, IDSA

3.15 pm Address on “India and the need for an International Arms Trade Treaty” by Prof. Anuradha Chenoy, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University

3.30 pm Keynote address on “Parliament Oversight of Security Sector: Need for Governance Reforms for Security Sector and the Arms Trade Treaty” by Mr Ravinder Pal Singh, Security Analyst and Former Project Leader on Arms Procurement, SIPRI.

3.50 pm Address by Chief Guest, Shri Dr. Thockchom Meinya, Member of Parliament , Lok Sabha

4.10 pm Screening of the film “Gunning for Control”on the need for India and Arms Trade Treaty

5.00 pm Briefing of MPs, statements and signing of support for Arms Trade Treaty by the following parliamentarians: Shri Lalmingliana, Member,  Rajya Sabha, Mizoram ; Shri C. M. Chang, Member, Lok Sabha, Nagaland; Shri Biswajit Daimary, Member, Lok Sabha, Assam , Shri  Silvius Condipan, Member, Rajya Sabha, Assam, Shri Chandu Lal Sahu, Member, Lok Sabha, Chattisgarh and many others

5.10 pm Address by Ms Pooja Parvati, Centre for Governance and Budget Accountability

5.25 pm Address by Father Nithiya, Executive Secretary, National Commission for Justice, Peace and Development

5.35 pm  Address by Ms Rita Roy, Executive Officer, International Secretariat, South Asia Peace Alliance

5.50 pm Questions from the floor

6.00 pm Vote of Thanks by Ms Elizabeth Imti, Parliamentary Affairs Coordinator, CAFI

For more information please contact:

Ms Binalakshmi Nepram & Team
Secretary-General, Control Arms Foundation of India
B 5/146, First Floor, Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi- 110029

Phone: +91-11- 46018541, Fax: +91-11-26166234, Email: Binalakshmi@gmail.com