8th Parliamentarians Briefing on United Nations Arms Trade Treaty – Press Invite and Release

Press Invite and Release

8th PARLIAMENTARIANS BRIEFING ON UNITED NATIONS ARMS TRADE TREATY
“Rising Armed Violence in India: Need to address this through disarmament and United Nations Arms Treaty Negotiations.”
Thursday, 15th December 2011, 3pm to 5pm, Board Room, Constitution Club, Rafi Marg
New Delhi.

New Delhi 13th December 2011: : Each year, 500,000 people are killed directly with conventional weapons and many more are injured, abused, forcibly displaced and bereaved as a result of armed violence. Around 58,000 Indians died due to armed violence in the last 15 years. The highest casualties have been reported from India’s Northeast and Jammu & Kashmir and now in Mumbai, Maharashtra with the latest bomb blast which killed and injured many people. If the death, injury and disability resulting from small arms were categorized as a disease, we would view it as an epidemic.

Several years earlier on 6 December 2006, for the first time, work to find a solution on unregulated arms trade started with the international Arms Trade Treaty process that began as 153 countries voted in favor of the historic resolution on Arms Trade Treaty in the UN General Assembly. Work is going on now to make the Arms Trade Treaty happen by 2012.

Indian civil society has been calling on India to take a more proactive lead in this. With 12 Indians killed every day due to unregulated arms, Indian civil society organizations have been calling upon the Government of India to support the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty Process to stop human cost of unregulated arms.

The role which parliamentarians can play in setting up international standards can be seen from the Parliamentarian Forum on Small arms & Light Weapons in October 2005, when they urged the international community to start negotiations on a global Arms Trade Treaty.

CAFI volunteers have been working with Indian parliamentarians to support our efforts to reduce gun violence and to start work on an Arms Trade Treaty.

We have already received support from more than 72 members from both houses of Parliament and we aim to bring in more support of Members of Parliament to make the Arms Trade Treaty a reality in India.

On Thursday, 15th December 2011 Control Arms Foundation of India along with Manipur Women Gun Survival Network is organizing 8th Parliamentarians Briefing on United Nation Arms Trade Treaty, on the theme “Armed Violence in India: Need to address this through disarmament and United Nations Arms Treaty Negotiations. “ 3pm to 5pm, Board Room, Constitution Club, Rafi Marg New Delhi.

The purpose of this meeting is to brief parliamentarians by experts to seek their support and find ways to create awareness of the deadly trade in arms which is a huge threat to human security and yet operates without global binding regulations. CAFI will urge parliamentarians to call upon the Government of India to support the ongoing process for an international Arms Trade Treaty happen by 2012 to make disarmament meaningful to people’s life.

Please do join us.

For programme schedule and concept note please log onto http://www.cafi.org.in

For more information, interviews etc please contact:

Ms Binalakshmi Nepram
Secretary General
Control Arms Foundation of India
B 5/146, First Floor, Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi- 110029
Website: www.cafi-online.org Email: Binalakshmi@gmail.com
Mobile: 9891210264 Phone: 011- 46018541, Fax: +91-11-26166234

A. Majaiibungo Meetei (Majai)
Team Leader Research and Advocacy,
Control Arms Foundation of India
B 5 / 146, First Floor, Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi – 110 029, India
Email: majaicafi@gmail.com
Mobile: 91- 9711367968 Phone: +91-11-46018541 Fax: +91-11-26166234
Website: www.cafi-online.org