A Collaborative Approach To Small Arms Control In West Africa (BMS8 side event)

The Government of Sierra Leone, and the Small Arms Survey invite you to a roundtable discussion on identifying points of convergence between arms control initiatives and other processes relevant to the UN framework on sustaining peace, building on experience from West Africa.

Based on the case of Sierra Leone, the event will highlight how new-generation small arms national action plans (NAPs) can enhance the effectiveness of national policies and donor interventions across West Africa by linking with other relevant processes focusing on:

• security sector reform (SSR)
• transnational organized crime (TOC)
• women, peace and security (WPS)

Interventions:

• Opening remarks: Roselynn Finda Senesi, First Secretary, Sierra Leone Permanent Mission to the United Nations, New York
• Lessons learned from Sierra Leone: Colonel Conteh Binneh, Deputy Commissioner, Sierra Leone National Commission on Small Arms (SLeNCSA)
• Regional perspectives: taking stock on National Action Plans in West Africa: Josephine Dresner, International Policy and Partnerships Director, Mines Advisory Group
• Linkages between Transnational Organized Crime and small arms control: Olivia Davies, OCWAR-T Project Coordinator, UNDP Sierra Leone
• Linkages between Security Sector Reform and small arms control: Alexander Burian, Principle Programme Manager Sub-Saharan Africa Division, DCAF - Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance