GLOBAL COOPERATION NEWSLETTER
August 2011
In this edition
Third Arms Trade Treaty Preparatory Committee held in New YorkUNICEF new policy briefing, Child Outlook
UNRISD Green Economy and Sustainable Development: Bringing Back the Social
Dimension
The Millennium Development Goals Report 2011
Call for abstracts - 2012 Joint World Conference of Social Work and Social
Development: Action and Impact

The sculpture on the left waspresented on 30 September
1988 by the Government ofLuxembourg. The sculptureof an outsized revolver withits barrel tied in a knot,
greets visitors to the United
Nations Headquarters in New
York. The artist Carl Fredrik
Reuterswärd, a native ofSweden, named the gift
"Non-violence".
Photo Credit:© UN Photo/PSudhakaran
http://www.sudhakaran.net/

Two years ago ICSW prepared a report on the proliferation of small arms. We concluded the issueof small arms proliferation is an increasing problem for developing countries and is a major
challenge facing the world in the 21st century. Every year thousands of people die of small arms
inflicted violence and countless others are maimed or suffer permanent injuries. In addition to thefatal and non-fatal injuries caused by small arms, there are indirect and devastating implications,which have become a major societal burden in Sub-Saharan Africa. Key social services such as
healthcare have the added burden of avoidable traumatic injuries caused by small arms. The
implications on health systems are exacerbated by the parallel high levels of disease andinadequate resources. The widespread availability of small arms adds to the rate and impact ofGlobal Cooperation Newsletter

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violent crime and increases the possibility of armed conflict. If the issue of small arms is notaddressed it will continue to have devastating social and humanitarian consequences.
The UN has made some if inadequate steps to redress this blight on humanity. The cautious
approach of some countries is inexcusable and callous.
The third United Nations Preparatory Committee meeting (PrepCom) on the creation of a legallybinding international Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) took place at UN headquarters in New York from 1115 July 2011.
With no legally binding agreement on the transfer of small arms and light weapons (SALW) inplace, the international community is labouring to find a solution to the issue of these weapons as
they are moved easily across the world, often finding their way into regions of conflict. Until theeffective monitoring of transfers of conventional weapons is achieved, international humanitarian
law and universal human rights will continue to be undermined in some regions.
General Overview of the PrepCom
The Chair of the ATT process, Ambassador Roberto Garcia Moritan (Argentina), presented Member
States with an "ambitious" draft paper that included small arms and light weapons, technology,parts and components, ammunition, victim assistance and international cooperation.
Some delegations pushed for a robust treaty that is comprehensive and rigorous and which canmake a difference in the incidence of armed violence, development, human rights and international
peace and security.
Other delegations sought a more "self-implementable" ATT that would more simply specify thattransfers should only occur with official authorization. They argue that issues like brokering,transhipment and re-export are too complicated for an ATT to address.
Differing views of civil society attending the conference
Civil society representatives were present in the discussions. Their positions, however, differed
greatly from one to another.
Many NGOs, such as ControlArms, International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) andParliamentarians for Global Action, were clear on their wishes for the ATT to be a robust system, inthe hopes of stopping the illicit trade of arms, which they argue fuel and sustain conflict, devastate
lives and hinder development efforts.
On the other hand, NGOs such as the US National Rifle Association (NRA) and the World Forum on
the Future of Sports Shooting Activities, were keen on expressing their opinions on the right to beararms and that civilian and sporting firearms should not be included in the treaty. They alsoemphasized the difficulties and near impossibility of marking and tracing of ammunition, "warning"that any attempts to do so would make it impossible for the ATT to be ratified in the US Senate.
Including Gender in the ATT
During the third PrepCom, the issue of gender was brought up by many Member States as well as
NGOs such as International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), IANSA and theInternational Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Yet many participants expressed the view thatwomen and gender are being largely ignored in the process towards the ATT. The majorachievement of the week in relation to gender in the ATT was the mention of gender-based violencein the preamble of the new draft paper released by the Chair, where he stated:"Recognising the absence of commonly agreed international standards for the transfer ofconventional arms and their diversion to the illicit market are contributory factors to armed conflict,
serious violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, gender-Global Cooperation Newsletter

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based violence, the displacement of people, transnational organized crime, terrorism and the illicit
trade in narcotics, thereby undermining peace, reconciliation, safety, security, stability andsustainable social and economic development ... ."Civil society has repeatedly drawn attention to the fact that women are not only victims of
conventional armed violence, they are also survivors. They suffer the effect of the lack of control on
the billion dollar trade and bear the burden of the emotional and socio-economic consequences ofgun violence. Women are also particularly at risk of certain crimes because of their sex - including
violence in the home, on the streets and in the battlefield.
However, many Member States, like Trinidad & Tobago, Mali, Spain, Nigeria, Norway and Australia,
as well as international NGOs, argue that women are a key part of the solution. For example, they
can help raise awareness of the treaty; actively lobby for the creation and adoption of nationallaws, regulations and administrative procedures that will be required to implement the treaty’sprovisions; look for and solicit both technical and financial assistance from the internationalcommunity; monitor compliance to the parameters and principles; participate in the formulation ofdispute settlement procedures and in the actual settlement of intractable disputes. Furthermore,
women can actively participate in disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) processes,
particularly in weapons collection. They often care for victims of armed violence and take initiatives
to create a more protective environment for them. They could also help apply the principles of thetreaty by helping to build peaceful communities by mediating conflicts and teaching non-violent
conflict resolution skills to family and community members.
Women are calling on Member States to:a) Adopt an ATT with the highest possible legally binding standard for the international transfer ofconventional arms, covering both small arms and ammunition as well;b) Not authorize the transfer of arms if there is substantial risk that they will be used to perpetuate
or facilitate high levels of gender based violence;c) Not authorize transfer of arms firearms related to homicides or serious injury.
Looking ahead: 2012
With the provocative language presented in the last two PrepCom Working Papers, it is likely that
more refined and consensual language will be found in the draft treaty text presented at the 2012
Conference. The major concern revolves around the negotiation rules, since the resolution explicitly
conveys the final product will be undertaken on the "basis of consensus," raising the question ofwhether the negotiations of the vast majority will be put off by the objections of a few States, ormaybe even one.
The goal must be to reconcile the differing perspectives on the main objective of the treaty, andthis will guide the way to negotiating the treaty’s content. Some ask for a robust treaty that could
be designed to avert the risk of violations of international humanitarian law, human rights or socioeconomic development. Others would rather see the ATT as a way of smoothing the process ofarms transfers and reducing the risk of such arms falling into the wrong hands.

UNICEF new policy briefing, Child Outlook
UNICEF has released a new policy briefing, Child Outlook.
http://www.unicef.org/socialpolicy/files/Child_Outlook_29_July_2011_1.pdf 2.57MB Child Outlook
is intended to bring attention to major global trends affecting children. Faster, deeper and more
equitable gains for the children will require a sound understanding of the critical global drivers ofand threats to economic and social progress in the 21st century, and a willingness to support
children’s rights in the reality of a rapidly changing world. In this first issue, UNICEF has addressed
the following topics: Leader: The changing world; World economy: A partial and fragile recovery;
Geopolitics: After the Arab Spring; Development assistance: The ebb and flow of aid; Commodities:Costlier food; Public finance: From stimulus to austerity; Economic focus: The rise of middle-incomecountries; Employment: Minding the youth employment gap; Environment: Climate change hits thepoorest hardest; The equity horizon: The ever increasing circles of equity

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UNRISD Green Economy and Sustainable Development: Bringing Back theSocial Dimension
Registration is now open for the UNRISD conference "Green Economy and Sustainable
Development: Bringing Back the Social Dimension". This conference will be held in Geneva on 1011 October 2011, and aims to position the social dimensions centrally in debates around green
economy and sustainable development in the lead up to Rio+20.
Registration is online only, and is open from 1 August to 1 September 2011.
For more information and to register please go to www.unrisd.org/events/greeneconomy

The Millennium Development Goals Report 2011
Some of the world’s poorest countries have made impressive gains in the fight against poverty. But
the least developed countries still lag in efforts to improve living standards, the United Nations said
today in a report by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). The reportshows significant overall progress towards achieving the global targets against extreme poverty.
Read the 2011 MDGs Report. http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/11_MDG%20Report_EN.pdf
4.4MB 72pages

Call for abstracts - 2012 Joint World Conference of Social Work and Social
Development: Action and Impact
In July 2012 Stockholm will be the venue for the second joint world conference of the International
Association of Schools of Social Work ICSW and the International Federation of Social Workers.
It follows the amazing success of the first joint conference where 2,500 people from 100 countries
met in Hong Kong in 2010.
The organisers have made the first call for abstracts. Deadline – 30th November 2011.
The conference will take place in Stockholm, Sweden, between the 8th and 12th of July in 2012. The
conference will be the meeting point for policymakers, social workers, scholars and students toexchange experience and development in social work practice, social research and education andsocial policy to develop a sustainable welfare system for the future.
Visit the conference website to obtain information about the conference and the call for abstracts.
Information is available in English, French, Spanish and Swedish: www.swsd-stockholm-2012.org
For questions regarding registration, hotel booking, social events, abstract handling, exhibition
management and general information please contact Congrex at socialwork2012@congrex.com
Regarding the scientific programme you are welcome to contact the Conference Secretariat that
opened on 15th August. The conference administrator is Jöran Lindeberg jlindeberg@icsw.org
Visit the conference on Facebook: Stockholm 2012 – Social Work Social Development
The content of this Global Newsletter may be freely reproduced or cited provided the source isacknowledged. Views do not necessarily represent policies of ICSW.
Newsletter Editor: Denys Correll, Executive Director
ICSW, Plot 4, Berkeley Lane
Off Lugard Avenue,Entebbe, Uganda
Phone: +256 414 32 11 50
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