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Agenda
Towards Implementation of the Southern Africa Regional Action Programme on Light Arms and Illicit Trafficking
Hosted by the Institute for Security Studies and Saferworld with the support of the UK Department for International Development and the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Pretoria, South Africa, 8 & 9 September 1999
Wednesday 8 September
08:30-08:45 Tea/Coffee
08:45-10:00 Session One – Plenary
Welcome and introduction
Virginia Gamba, Institute for Security Studies, and Paul Eavis, Saferworld
Opening
Mr B Malate, SADC contact point, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mozambique
Anu Saarela, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Finland
Update on recent developments
C N C Mangwana, SADC contact point, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zimbabwe
Andreas Berg, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Germany
10:00-10:15 Tea/Coffee
10:15-12:15 Session Two – Plenary
Chairperson: Joao Ndlovu, SADC secretariat, Botswana
Operational aspects of tackling illicit trafficking: SADC, SARPCCO and the EU
The institutional and operational challenges to SADC, SARPCCO and the EU
Over the last three years, the EU, SADC and SARPCCO have undertaken work and certain initiatives concerning the reduction and control of illicit trafficking in arms and other criminal activities in their regions. This session will include an update of SADC, SARPCCO and EU progress in developing and implementing their agendas for controlling light arms and illicit trafficking. Representatives of SADC, SARPCCO and the EU will be given the opportunity to outline an assessment of co-operative efforts to date and, where appropriate, to outline what their immediately foreseeable needs are, as well as the challenges at both national and regional levels. This will facilitate discussion and understanding of those actions and resources which may be necessary to promote the development and expansion of co-operation to tackle illicit trafficking in the Southern African region.
Speakers
Virginia Gamba, Head, Arms Management Programme, Institute for Security Studies
Assistant Senior Commissioner Frank Msutu, SARPCCO HQ, Interpol Subregional Bureau
Dominique Bakker, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Netherlands
Owen Greene, Saferworld and Bradford University, UK
12:15-12:45 Discussion
12:45-13:45 Lunch
13:45-15:15 Session Three – Plenary
Chairperson: Anu Saarela, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Finland
Policies to address the enhancement of legal controls over weapons possession and transfer
Enhancing legal controls over weapons possession, use and transfer
This session will examine how appropriate controls over the domestic possession and use of light weapons and common export practices can be strengthened throughout the SADC region as an essential part of efforts to prevent illicit trafficking. Representatives from governments in the region and from the EU will be asked to outline their views of best practice in each of these areas and, where appropriate, of the technical and resource requirements of promoting an effective approach across the SADC region and between SARPCCO member states.
Speakers
Commissioner Hillary, Royal Swaziland Police
Philip Jacobs, Chief Manager, Legal Component, Detective Service, SAPS
Mr O R W Mokou, Director, National Contact Point SADC, Department of Foreign Affairs, South Africa
Mr P Tsholetsane, Department of Foreign Affairs, South Africa
Euan Wallace, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK
Peter Gastrow, Institute for Security Studies
15:15-15:45 Discussion
15:45-16:00 Tea/Coffee
16:00-17:30 Session Four – Final Plenary
Chairperson: Assistant Commissioner Batshu, Botswana
Weapons collection and police-community co-operation: The linkages between regional, governmental and non-governmental roles in weapons reduction and in public awareness
Enhancing the effectiveness of weapons collection initiatives
This session will involve a critical assessment of the effectiveness of a range of weapons collection efforts involving governmental and non-governmental actors at national and regional level. It will involve a discussion of the lessons of Operations Rachel (bilateral weapons collection initiatives involving the South African and Mozambican governments and civil society). It will also examine how police-civil society co-operation can be enhanced in order to provide effective programmes to reduce levels of illegal arms in civilian possession. This will focus on involving civil society in countries:
- where the government has clearly expressed a desire to reduce levels of illicit arms in circulation and is willing to work with civil society for these ends; and
- where civil society is organised and engaged in working on issues related to weapons collection, police-community relations, among others.
Speakers
Chief Superintendent Frank Msutu, SARPCCO, Head of Interpol Southern Africa, Zimbabwe
Martinho Chachiua, Institute for Security Studies
Daniel Ntoni-Nzinga, Quakers Regional Office, South Africa
17:30-18:00 Discussion
Thursday 9 September
08:30-10:30 Three Parallel Workshops
Workshop 1: Operational aspects of tackling illicit trafficking: SADC, SARPCCO and international
Chairpersons: Jakkie Potgieter, Institute for Security Studies, and Herb Calhoun, State Department, US
Key issues for discussion include:
- How have SADC, SARPCCO and other regional/international operations/initiatives to tackle illicit trafficking been conceived and implemented to date?
- What operations/initiatives have met with the greatest success?
- What have been the principal limiting factors to the effectiveness of these operations/initiatives?
- What operations/initiatives are envisaged or required and what specific targets can be realistically achieved?
- What are the priority needs in terms of SADC and SARPCCO infrastructure and capacity to carry out operations to control and reduce illicit small arms trafficking?
- What is the best role of any SADC-EU expert committee in support of these activities (guidance, co-ordination, evaluation, feedback, liaison)?
Workshop 2: Policies to address the enhancement of legal controls on weapons possession and transfer
Chairpersons: Virginia Gamba, Institute for Security Studies, and Lukas Schifferle, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Switzerland
Key issues for discussion include:
- How can common standards be implemented for domestic gun control legislation relating to private ownership and dealers across the region? Where is action being taken to reform domestic legislation? Can this be extended?
- How can common systems of marking and registration at the point of manufacture and import be implemented?
- What resources are required to enable implementation of such systems? Which countries are willing and able to adopt and implement uniform standards? How can SARPCCO structure its assistance to member states in order to achieve this uniformity?
- What regional consultation structures/mechanisms could be envisaged in order to facilitate the development of appropriate laws and capacity for implementation?
- How can principles governing the export of small arms be implemented within SADC and between the EU and SADC? What common standards for export licensing can be established and implemented among SADC countries, e.g. licence granted only if end-use certificate is provided?
Workshop 3: Weapons collection and police-community co-operation: The linkages between regional, governmental and non-governmental roles in weapons reduction and in public awareness
Chairpersons: Martinho Chachiua, Institute for Security Studies, and Colin Roberts, Surrey Police, UK
Key issues for discussion include:
- What is the role of civil society in the Operations Rachel model? And, how can this role be enhanced and institutionalised further?
- Should Operations Rachel serve as a regional model for weapons collection and destruction?
- What are the optimal conditions for weapons collection initiatives, e.g. governmental support for tackling illicit trafficking; police capacity to assure security of civilians; constructive police-community relations? Where do they exist/how can they be developed?
- How can donors link with civil society and governments in order to facilitate weapons collection initiatives?
- What inducements can be offered to encourage optimal civil society participation in weapons collection?
- How can civil society reverse the culture of violence associated with the increased availability of small arms?
10:30-11:15 Tea/Coffee (Rapporteurs to write reports)
Chairpersons: Virginia Gamba, Institute for Security Studies, and Paul Eavis, Saferworld
11:15-12:00 Report back on workshops
12:00-13:00 Open debate on workshops
13:00-14:00 Lunch
Chairpersons: Virginia Gamba, Institute for Security Studies, and Owen Greene, Saferworld and University of Bradford
14:00-16:30 Open discussion
The identification of practical ways forward in the implementation of the Action Programme
16:30-17:00 Concluding remarks
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