Provisional Programme
DAY 1 | WEDNESDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2014
08:00 | Participants registration |
| Plenary Session
|
09:15 | Opening Address
|
| A group photo will take place before the start of the plenary session |
09:50 | Plenary Session - High Level Panel Current challenges to armed violence reduction and prevention This session will provide an opportunity for participants to highlight progress and challenges in armed violence reduction and prevention since the launch of the GD and will highlight the importance of the links to development and specifically to 2015 and the post-MDG agenda. The session will be a moderated conversation between panelists and conference participants and will feature key visions for the implementation of the Geneva Declaration and related processes.
|
11:00 | Coffee break |
11:30 | Additional statements by states |
12:30 | Lunch break |
14:00
| Plenary Session Peace and armed violence reduction within the post-2015 agenda The session will highlight the importance of linking armed violence reduction with programming policies and interventions to the development agenda, at national, regional and international levels. The panel will also focus on the importance of supporting the inclusion of peace and reduction of violence in the debates leading to the post-2015 development agenda. The session will be a moderated discussion, with panelists offering insights and examples, as well as interaction with conference participants.
|
15:30 | Coffee break |
16:00 | Parallel Thematic Sessions |
| Session 1 From data collection to policy and programs Measuring and monitoring armed violence and development data is one of the main pillars of the Geneva Declaration. Efforts to effectively reduce and prevent armed violence require clear diagnosis of its scope, distribution and drivers: Effective strategies to prevent and reduce violence need to target context-specific drivers of violence, and hence need to be informed by a clear analysis of its nature and scope. The use of baseline assessments and the creation of crime and violence observatories, both make important contributions to armed violence reduction and prevention efforts. The session is organized around two main axes: i) presenting the experiences of crime and violence observatories. ii) The importance of translating research finding into concrete policies and programs.
|
| Session 2 In collaboration with UN-Habitat Cities as actors of armed violence prevention and reduction (AVPR) Urban insecurity and violence are major preoccupations of policymakers, planners, and development practitioners in cities around the world. Many cities and municipalities have experiences of partnerships involving multiple stakeholders to prevent violence, thereby developing innovative approaches which support and go beyond strict policing. Such approaches are often based on systems to assess and monitor insecurity, while gauging the impact of interventions. The main objective of this session is to share experiences, best practices, and case studies involving urban approaches to reduction and prevention of violence.
|
| Session 3 Guns, masculinities and tackling armed violence against women This session will focus on the gender dimensions of armed violence. It will explore legal and policy frameworks to address femicide and violence against women in contexts highly affected by gun violence. It will consider interventions to tackle negative forms of masculinities which perpetuate armed violence, including the targeting of women. Ways to reduce cultural associations of gun use with power and manhood will also be showcased.
|
17:45 | End of parallel sessions |
18:30 | Official Reception Dinner offered by the Government of Kenya at the Safari Park Hotel |
DAY 2 | THURSDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2014
| Plenary Session |
08:45 | Launch of the Handbook Implementing the Geneva Declaration
|
09:15
| Plenary Session Dimensions of armed violence and insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa The panel will provide a discussion on the main characteristics, trends and impacts of armed violence, crime and insecurity in Africa.
|
10:30 | Coffee break |
11:00 | Parallel Thematic Sessions The sessions will focus on experiences and lessons learned in programming in the following areas: |
| Session 1 Working with victims and survivors of armed violence Every year thousands of persons are injured by armed violence, often with life-long consequences for them and their families. The session will explore some of the issues that should be addressed when considering the question of survivors of armed violence, in order to respond more effectively to their rights and needs, and to deal with the legacies of the experience of armed violence.
|
| Session 2 Youth as change factor This panel will offer the opportunity for a reflection on the role of youth in relation to themes such as security, small arms, violence and crime prevention, rehabilitation and reintegration. The session will consider experiences in which the youth is a central actor of innovative approaches to increasing security and ‘living together’ in Africa.
|
| Session 3 In collaboration with Danish Demining Group (DDG) Community-based strategies and approaches The main objective of this session is to share experiences or case studies about community-based approaches that have resulted in reduction or prevention of violence in target communities. The discussion will focus on strategies for addressing key facets of armed violence, such as gang violence, gender-based violence, and common crime.
|
Lunch break | |
13:45 - 15:00 | Plenary Session The importance of justice and security providers for peace and development Justice and security institutions have a key role to play in reducing and preventing armed violence. However, ‘law enforcement only’ strategies have proven largely ineffective in improving security without a wider and more inclusive approach that considers security as a development issue. The panel will focus on different aspects and challenges for security and justice institutions when developing comprehensive development strategies.
|
Parallel Thematic Sessions | |
| Session 1 Controlling the tools of violence The session will share the experiences of firearms control programmes that have or could have a positive impact on armed violence reduction. The discussion will focus on strategies for control of institutional inventories, regulation of privately-owned guns, reducing availability of illicit firearms, and prevention of illicit manufacturing of and trafficking of firearms.
|
| Session 2 Private Security: part of the solution or part of the problem? Private security is a booming industry in Africa and elsewhere. In many countries of the continent private security officials outnumber by far the number of public officials working for national police or armed forces. If on the one hand, private security companies may play a positive role in complementing the capacities of public security providers, PSCs have been under criticism for issues like poor training, inadequate vetting and background checks, providing firearms to persons who are not competent to use them and the failure to pursue criminal or disciplinary action against security personnel who break the law. The session will discuss the roles and challenges related to PSCs as security providers in Africa, and will focus specifically on the role of private security in terms of firearms.
|
| Session 3 Women, peace and security and small arms In recent years several international agendas—involving women, peace, security, and small arms—have found important points of convergence, addressing issues such as gender-based violence and the participation and representation of women in small arms policymaking. The convergence of agendas is ae 2012 Review Conference of the UN Programme of Action, in the ATT, the 2013 Security Council Resolution on small arms and, in parallel, in the two 2013 resolutions on women, peace, and security (both reaffirming the gender provisions of the ATT). While such commitments are clear at the international level, in many contexts their actual implementation at the national level is far from being achieved. This session will discuss the challenges in aligning national action plans for the implementation of UN resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security, and policies related to small arms and light weapons, in response to the unprecedented convergence of agendas at the international level.
|
16:40 | Coffee break |
17:00 | Plenary Session An agenda for action Speakers will suggest an agenda for action in order to address the challenges of reducing and preventing armed violence.
|
17:45 | Closing remarks and presentation of the Chair’s summary
|
18:00 | End of Conference |
18:30 | Farewell reception offered by the Government of Switzerland (at the Mamta Poolside) |