Road to RevCon4: Gender-responsive arms control and the UN PoA
Although gender-related references in PoA meetings had been gradually increasing since 2001, the 7th Biennial Meeting of States marked a watershed moment in 2021 when it included eight consecutive paragraphs with gender-related language. The BMS7 outcome document had provisions on ensuring the equal, full and effective participation of women in all aspects of POA implementation, harmonising work with efforts related to the Women, Peace and Security agenda, taking into account the differential impacts of small arms on women, men, girls and boys through sex and age disaggregated data, and the mainstreaming of gender perspectives into policies and programmes. It also talked about how eradicating the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons is a key part of combatting gender-based violence and sexual violence in conflict.
Director Mark Downes sits down with Hana Salama, Researcher in the Gender and Disarmament programme at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) and Callum Watson, the Small Arms Survey’s Gender Coordinator to unpack these topics, collaboration on a working paper entitled From Research to Policy: Prospects for Gender-Responsive Small Arms Control, and gender-related discussions in the lead-up to RevCon4.
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- More on our RevCon4 activities here