Maat and the Global Coalition for the Limitation of Armaments are organizing a side event on the impact of illicit manufacturing of firearms on human rights

Maat and the Global Coalition for the Limitation of Armaments are organizing a side event on the impact of illicit manufacturing of firearms on human rights

Mark Vinod: We recommend concerned parties to pay attention to the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime with the participation of Civil Society

Abdel-Latef Gouda: The humanitarian impact of firearms threatens the most vulnerable groups

Wessam Farid: The GCLA is a key good practice adopted by Maat to limit the proliferation of armaments

On the sidelines of its participation in the 11th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights organized a side event in cooperation with the Global Coalition for the Limitation of Armaments (GCLA) entitled “The Impact of the Illicit Manufacturing and Trafficking in Firearms on the Rights of The human“. The session was moderated by Wessam Farid, a researcher at the International Mechanisms Unit at Maat, in the presence of over 30 participants from different countries, including a number of diplomatic missions, representatives of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and representatives of international organizations.

In this context, Mark Vinod, a diplomat and independent expert on arms proliferation issues, discussed the impact of firearms on civilians in conflict areas and the danger of their falling into the hands of terrorist groups, referring to Yemen, Mexico, Latin America, and Africa.

Vinod also recommended civil society and relevant bodies to pay attention to the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime in order to facilitate the establishment of a global register of firearms and light weapons.

“Gun violence is an epidemic that is not restricted by national borders, especially when it is fueled by the illegal trade” Abdel-Latef Gouda, a researcher in the International Humanitarian Law Unit at Maat, explained, stressing that the humanitarian impact of firearms threatens the most vulnerable population groups, i.e. persons with disabilities, women and children.

On a parallel level, Wessam Farid highlighted the deep impact of firearms on human rights and explained the interplay between the manufacture and trafficking of firearms and human rights, describing it as a complex relationship. While firearms play a critical role in law enforcement and military operations to protect human rights and achieve security, they are often used for violating human rights. Maat has adopted a number of good practices to control the proliferation of arms, such as the establishment of the GCLA, which includes more than 33 organizations from different countries worldwide.

Notably, this is the first time that Maat has participated in the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, at the invitation of the Executive Office of the UNODC in Vienna. Maat presented an oral intervention in the third day of the Conference on “The Impact of the Illicit Manufacturing and Trafficking in Firearms on the Rights of The human”.