Disarmament
Disarmament advocacy is a part of Franciscans International's peacemaking efforts at the United Nations. It involves monitoring major disarmament meetings and cooperation with other non-governmental and international organisations in making recommendations to states. For example, Franciscans International joins other like-minded organisations in advocating for human security approach in all disarmament negotiations. The term 'disarmament' refers to the collection and destruction of weapons - crucial in conflict prevention, peacemaking and post-conflict reconciliation and reconstruction efforts.
 Franciscans International advocates for a people-centred approach to disarmament and security, placing humanitarian concerns and human rights at the core of all policy. Franciscans around the world face the dangers and consequences of misuse of arms, landmines and nuclear weapons testing in their lives and work. Many of them are actively involved in disarmament at various levels: community disarmament, nuclear disarmament advocacy, and landmine risk education. Franciscans International aims to empower grassroots Franciscans in their disarmament efforts and supports them on an international level at the United Nations.
While Franciscans International follows most of major disarmament processes at the United Nations, we focus primarily on two aspects: guns and landmines.
The GUN problem
- Due to the low cost, widespread availability (639 million worldwide), simplicity of use and durability, guns (or small arms as they are referred to in official UN documents) have become "weapons of mass destruction" by causing 500,000 deaths a year worldwide and millions of injuries.
- While death and physical injury are direct impacts of the use of small arms, there are also a number of indirect impacts. Guns are used to force people to leave their homes, confiscate property, rape and commit other human rights violations. The light weight, simplicity of use and wide availability of small arms has contributed to child participation in conflict.
- Indirect impacts of small arms (such as displacement) include limited access to basic education and healthcare, with devastating long-term socio-economic effects.
The LANDMINE problem
- Landmines cause between 15,000 and 20,000 deaths every year, mostly civilians. Landmines are an indiscriminate, silent threat to civilians in over 60 countries. Survivors suffer amputations, long hospital stays and face economic hardship due to the difficulty of finding work.
- Buried landmines prevent communities from using land for farming and develop infrastructure, thus halting development. They also prevent post-conflict reconstruction and refugee return.
- Clearing mines is expensive and dangerous. In some regions a number of private groups undertake mine clearance without proper equipment and/or insurance for workers.
- Landmines are still being planted today, while decades-old landmines remain in the ground.
Joint involvement
 International Action Network on Small Arms
In 2005 Franciscans International joined the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) in an effort to collaborate more effectively with other NGOs active in small arms advocacy. IANSA is made up of over 600 organisations worldwide and serves as a major liaison between grassroots organisations and the United Nations. Franciscans International is an active participant in Ecumenical Network on Small Arms (ENSA) within the larger network.
Geneva Forum
Franciscans International is a participant in the Geneva Process on Small Arms, a joint initiative of the Quaker United Nations Office, Geneva (QUNO), the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), and the Programme for Strategic and International Security Studies (PSIS) of the Graduate Institute of International Studies.
The forum facilitates dialogues and cooperation between governments, international organisations, UN agencies and NGOs in an attempt to highlight emerging issues in disarmament.
International Campaign to Ban Landmines
Franciscans International joined the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) in order to engage more actively in landmine advocacy. ICBL is a network of more than 1400 organisations in 90 countries. The ICBL raised awareness of the problem of landmines and was the driving force behind the convention to ban the use of antipersonnel mines (Ottawa Convention). Members of ICBL closely monitor the implementation of the Mine-Ban Treaty and continue to advocate for universal adherence.
Testimony from the field
Fr Zlatko Spehar, OFM
 Fr Zlatko Spehar, OFM lives in Vukovar -- a town on the border between Croatia and Serbia and one of the most war-affected places in the Balkans. Vukovar is surrounded by mine fields. As the locals bitterly joke, in Vukovar, 'mines are surrounded by people and not people surrounded by mines.' Most of the mine-fields are not properly marked and some are not marked at all. A number of families had to clear mines themselves and put fences around their houses.
Besides his active involvement and tremendous efforts in building reconciliation in the war-torn community, Fr Zlatko oversees mine risk education in the Vukovar school, aiming to prevent further mine-related accidents.
Resources
Important disarmament treaties and agreements;
How can I help?
- Learn about disarmament and join a disarmament campaign, such as the Control Arms Campaign
- Educate people in your community about the consequences of gun misuse and the use of landmines, as well as the importance and purpose of disarmament
- Organise campaigns to raise awareness
- Find out whether your country has signed and ratified major disarmament treaties or not
- Lobby relevant government officials in your country for adherence to major disarmament treaties
- Let us know about your concerns, interest and involvement in disarmament issues
FI Publications
Report on the Second Biennial Meeting of States to Consider the Implementation of the Programme of Action (PoA) to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects , New York 2005
Overview of Governmental Statements made at the Small Arms PrepCom, New York 2006
 FI
Statements, at the United Nations, on HIV/AIDS :
Franciscans International, as an NGO with General Consultative
Status with the Economic and Social Council, delivers
official written and oral interventions before United
Nations forums in New York and Geneva, Switzerland. Listed
below are Franciscans International statements on HIV/AIDS:
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FI News on Disarmament:
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