side events

Monday 31 October


Tuesday 1 November



Promising armed violence reduction and prevention practices

31 October 2011, 12:30 - 13:45
Ground floor - Conference room 3


Organiser:    UNDP & Geneva Declaration Secretariat


This side event will provide an opportunity to present the publication “Working against violence: promising practices in armed violence reduction and prevention”, a synthesis report from various armed violence reduction regional seminar, and to discuss the results of the work conducted prior to the conference.

 

Chair:

  • David Atwood, QUNO
    Introduction and presentation of the civil society work


Speakers:

  • Robert Muggah, Small Arms Survey and Principal of SecDev
    Presentation of a global mapping on armed violence prevention and reduction activities
  • Paul Eavis, UNDP
    Presentation of the best practices and lessons learned
  • Erwin Van Veen, OECD-DAC
    Review of development donor practices and next steps on the armed violence prevention and reduction agenda

 

Background documents:

 

 

Empowering women for effective armed violence reduction and prevention

Monday 31 October, 12:30 – 13:45
Ground floor - Conference room 4


Organiser: Small Arms Survey

The event will be the opportunity for a number of female speakers involved in other sessions of the Conference to discuss the crucial role of women in armed violence reduction and prevention (AVRP). Societies in which women enjoy a better status generally show low rates of violence. Effective AVRP also goes through gender mainstreaming and coordinated efforts to increase an active and assertive participation of women. Speakers will provide their reflections as inputs for discussion, based on their substantive experience as experts of various disciplines, with a view to supporting effective implementation of the Geneva Declaration.

 

Chair:

Speakers:

  • Elisabeth Ward, Chaiman of the Violence Prevention Alliance (VPA) - Jamaica
  • Paula Miraglia, Director of ICPC - Canada
  • Barbara Holtmann, Facilitator of Transformation Processes - South Africa
     

 

 

 

Land rights in conflict-affected contexts

Tuesday 1 November, 13:30 – 14:30
2nd floor - Conference room 14


Organiser:    

Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD)


Background:

Land rights in conflict and post-conflict contexts are an increasing area of concern within the humanitarian and development communities. Conflict can often result in dramatic changes to a country’s land tenure system. Even when conflicts end, the land rights of vulnerable groups continue to be at risk (women, IDPs, refugees, migrant labourers and those not possessing ‘legally recognized’ proof of their land rights). Secure land rights are therefore a critical issue for humanitarian response, sustainable peace-building and longer-term economic recovery, particularly in countries where a significant proportion of the population relies on agriculture as their main source of livelihood.

The situation can be even more complex in mine-affected countries as mine/ERW contamination may deny communities access to land and livelihoods for decades. Despite the importance of land, mine action organisations have not historically addressed land rights issues within their programming, claiming land rights are beyond their mandate, too complex and politically sensitive.  Nevertheless, land rights can affect mine action programmes at several important stages. What can mine action organisations do to better address land issues as part of their response to humanitarian emergencies and post-conflict recovery?

This side event will explore the complex relationship between land, landmines and conflict, discuss research findings from Afghanistan, and examine how organisations working in conflict-affected areas can pay greater attention to land rights issues.

Agenda:

  1. Welcome, introductions and opening remarks
    Szilard Fricska, UN-HABITAT, Geneva (Chair)

  2. Introduction to land and conflict,
    Peter Van der Auweraert, International Organisation for Migration (IOM)     
    [undefinedpresentation]

  3. Landmines and land rights in Afghanistan
    Sharmala Naidoo, Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD)
    Mohammad Sediq Rashid, Mine Action Coordination Centre of Afghanistan (MACCA)     
    [undefinedpresentation]

  4. Plenary discussion

 

 

 

Armed violence and development:  challenges and opportunities for the Middle East and North Africa

1 November 2011, 13:30
2nd floor, conference room 13


Organiser: Geneva Declaration Secretariat

This session will be dedicated to the recent historic events in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and their linkages to development.

 

Chaiperson:

  • Omar Hilale, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Morocco

 

Speakers:

  • Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou, Visiting Professor at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies and Associate Fellow at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP)
    Professor Ould Mohamedou will present the relevance of the question of armed violence in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and its linkages with socio-economic development trnds of the region.
  • Riccardo Bocco, Professor, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies - IHEID
    Prof. Bocco will present the politics of EU and US development aid to the region during the past two decades and will highlight future challenges for international donors in the wake of the Arab Spring

 

 

Peace Brokering Experiences in Violence Prevention in the Caribbean

1 November 2011, 13:30 - 14:30
2nd floor - Conference room 7


Organiser: VPA Jamaica

 

Chair:

  • James Forbes, Head of Community Safety and Security Branch, Jamaica Constabulary Force


Speakers:

  • Mr David Anyanwu, Programme Manager at Women Institute for Alternative Development Trinidad
    Combating Armed Violence in the Caribbean; A Brief NGO Perspective
    A brief overview of WINAD’s work on  armed violence (women’s documentary etc.) and then its regional campaign through CDRAV (ATT advocacy and campaign, regional ATT meetings, Firearms Harmonization etc.) and future directions.
  • Mr. Courtney Brown, Director, Crime Prevention and Community Safety, Ministry of National Security Jamaica
    Programmes and Policies in Crime Prevention and Community Safety in Jamaica
    Examining progress in policy development related to community safety, small arms control and crime prevention.
  • Mrs. Donna Parchment Brown, Executive Director, Dispute Resolution Foundation Jamaica
    Civil Society and the State partnering for Justice, Peace and Development
    Strengthening community capabilities to use mediation and restorative justice to address violent conflict involving crews and gangs.
  • Dr. Elizabeth Ward, Chairman of the Violence Prevention Alliance Jamaica
    Peacebrokering: Good practice from Jamaica. Implications for the Caribbean
    Good practice programmes, alliance building and challenges for peace brokering in the region.


Background document


Resource persons:

  • Roxanne Myers, Partners for Peace and Development - Guyana
  • John Seibert, Executive Director Project Ploughshares - Canada

 

 

 

Armed Violence Assessments in Liberia

1 November 2011, 13:30 - 14:30 
2nd fllor, Conference room 8


Organiser: Action on Armed Violence (AoAV) & Small Arms Survey (SAS)


This session will include a presentation of the results of the baseline assessments across Liberia (by SAS) and in Monrovia (by AOAV), as well as an overview of the Liberian Armed Violence Observatory – an on-going national mechanism to monitor and analyse the incidence and impact of armed violence in Liberia over time that has been established through the support of AOAV. The session will discuss the importance of collecting data and the difficulties associated with setting up an armed violence observatory. Copies of the issue briefs, the Monrovia report and the first Liberia Armed Violence Observatory report will be available.

 

Chair:

  • Serena Olgiati, AoAV

Speakers:

  • Elisabeth Gilgen, Small Arms Survey
  • Chris Lang, AoAV   

 

 

 

Implementing the GD: the experience of Guatemala

1 November 2011, 13:30 - 14:30
Level -1, Conference room 18


Organiser: Mission of Guatemala

The side event is called Implementation of the Geneva Declaration in Guatemala as focal country. The objective of the event is to present the way in which the State of Guatemala, through its institutions and civil society has carried out efforts to implement the Declaration. The speakers will be: on behalf of the  Viceminister of Government Mrs. Lorena Guerra, the Viceminister leads the programs of prevention of violence and community participation; the Coordinator of the Technical Secretariat of the National Council of Security, Mr. Arnoldo Villagrán, the Secretariat coordinates the Commission for the Prevention and Reduction of Armed Violence; the Director of IEPADES, Carmen Rosa of León-Escribano, which is an organization of civil society that impels the implementation of the Declaration  y develops support programs for the State entities, in the matter. We consider that this will be a good opportunity for people to know the efforts of the State of Guatemala addressed to implement the Declaration, which will also be able to be discussed with other countries that are focal countries too.  

 

Chaiperson: (to be decided)

Speakers:

  • Lorena Guerra, Viceminister of Government
    The Viceminister leads the programs of prevention of violence and community participation
  • Arnoldo Villagrán, Coordinator of the Technical Secretariat of the National Council of Security,
    the Secretariat coordinates the Commission for the Prevention and Reduction of Armed Violence
  • Carmen Rosa of León-Escribano, Director of IEPADES
    An organization of civil society that impels the implementation of the Declaration  y develops support programs for the State entities