The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

The government has been urged to play its due role in pursuing the enactment of the proposed arms trade treaty in the General Assembly of the United Nations next month.

The proposed treaty after enactment would reduce availability of the small and light arms, which are mostly used in anti human rights activities, as a total of seven lakh people killed across the globe in a year with bullets from small and light arms by both legal or illegal users.

This was highlighted at a press conference titled "Action on new arms trade treaty" organized by Bangladesh Network on Small Partnership Center (BDPC) and Bangladesh Network on Small Arms (BANSA) at the Jatiya Press Club here today.

Director of BDPC Sharif A Kafi read out the written statement at the conference.

Chairperson of BDPC Maksuda Faroque Ratna, project director Abdul Hasnat, representative of BANSA Atiqa Majumder, representative of Bangladesh Coalition for Chiled Rights (BCCR) Rosni Jahan, and representative of Nari o Manobadhikar Foundation (NAMAF) Shahana Begum were present.

Sharif A Kafi said the United Nations General Assembly in October will discuss the new arms treaty, which was proposed in 2006 to bring transparency and accountability in arms manufacture, sales, trade and uses of arms.

"With enactment of the treaty, the supply of illegal arms, which are causing rise in poverty and hampering development activities, would be reduced," Sharif A Kafi hoped.

On this occasion hundreds of institutions and thousands of people will observe a week long programme from September 13 to September 19 this year to create awareness among the people, he said.

Under the previous arms trade treaty, there were scopes of illegal arms trades, he said adding that since there was no provisions for monitoring the whereabouts of the arms, many institutions and individuals used to sell arms to illegal users.

If the proposed new arms trade treaty is enacted in the UN general Assembly, it would be possible to stop illegal trades of arms and thus reduce conflict in the world and save lives of innocent people Sharif A Kafi mentioned.

A total 1,289 arms factories in 92 countries in the world are producing 80 lakh small and light arms and 1,200 bullets, which is two bullets for every inhabitants in the globe. The legal trade of arms in a year amounts to four billion US dollar while there is further trade of one billion US dollar illegally, he added.