Participants from 15 RECSA member states are in Kigali for a workshop to discuss what can be done to help countries to ratify the agreement on preventing small arms.
RESCA Executive Secretary Lt. Gen. Baldreldin Elamin Abdelgadir reassures that RECSA will continue to support Rwanda to fulfill her responsibilities and to make it exemplary to other countries for the progress the country has made.
“Among all the RECSA member states, we praise Rwanda for the steps it has taken in regard to fighting the most pressing issue of small arms proliferation in the region,” he said, adding that Rwanda is now counted among the most secure countries.
In the the past two years, Rwanda cooperated with RECSA to destroy 55 tones of ammunition comprised of outdated weapons.
This operation took place in Gaborone Military Academy from 26 to 31 July, 2016.
Rwanda Minister of Justice Johnston Busingye said that the proliferation of small arms can be a threat to regional, continental and international peace.
Busingye reminded representatives that peace and safety of people cannot be achieved without cooperation.
“As you may be aware, illicit trafficking and use of arms and ammunition remains a big challenge to national, regional and global peace and security,” he said, adding that to achieve sustainable development, countries have to put efforts together to reduce illicit arms flow that feed conflicts and divert resources.
Busingye stressed that nearly 100% of those who commit all the crimes use small arms that they acquire illegally.
In 2006, the UN General Assembly recognized that the absence of common international standards for transfer of conventional arms contributes to armed conflict, the displacement of people and crime, and that these in turn undermine peace, reconciliation, safety, security, stability and sustainable social and economic development.
Based on this finding, the General Assembly launched a process to examine the feasibility of a treaty establishing common international standards for the transfer of conventional arms.
The Arms Trade Treaty was opened for signature on 3/06/2013 and entered into force 18 months later, on 24/12/2014.
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