Presentation made by Luigi De Martino for the the GD on 12 April 2013. GICHD Side Event at the 16th International Meeting of National Mine Action Programme Directors and UN Advisors Mine Action Support for Armed Violence Reduction: What Role for National Mine Action Authorities?

1. Geneva Declaration
On Armed Violence and Development
Mine Action Support for AVR,
What Role for National Mine Action Authorities?
12.04.2013

2. What is the Geneva Declaration?
The Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence
and Development (GD) is a political
instrument developed within a diplomatic
initiative bridging disarmament and
development processes.
As of today, 112 states have endorsed the Geneva
Declaration

3. The Declaration’s Aim
Geneva Declaration
To achieve “measurable reductions in the
global burden of armed violence and
tangible improvements in human security by
2015”

4. What is armed violence?
“Armed violence is the intentional use of
illegitimate force (actual or threatened)
with arms or explosives, against
a person, group, community, or state,
that undermines people-centered
security and sustainable development”
Geneva Declaration on Armed
Violence and Development
Mines, ERWs falls under the weapons covered by the Declaration’s scope

5. Three Main Directions of Work
• Measuring and Monitoring
• Advocacy and Diplomatic Initiatives
• Programming
Working to bring the AVR agenda in relevant
international processes
Collect and share experiences of effective armed
violence reduction and prevention initiatives
Support the development of monitoring tools
and capacities for monitoring

6. INNOVATIVE APPROACHES
TO PREVENT AND REDUCE
ARMED VIOLENCE EXIST.

7. Instruments Agents
Institutions
Individuals,
communities,
societies affected by
armed violence
Local
National
Regional
Global
People
Both formal institutions of
governance and informal
(traditional and cultural)
norms, rules and practices
Source: OECD 2011
Perpetrators of armed violence and
motivations for aquisition and misuse of arms
ARMED VIOLENCE REDUCTION AND PREVENTION
Availability and distribution of SALW,
ammunition, mines, ERWs and factors
affecting their supply

8. CATEGORIZING ACTIVITIES TO PREVENT AND
REDUCE ARMED VIOLENCE
Source: OECD 2011

9. MINE ACTION AND AVRP
Mine / ERWs
Clearance
Destruction of
ammunition
Direct AVRP
ASM /PSSM
Indirect AVRP
General programming

10. MINE ACTION AUTHORITIES AND AVRP
SALW
AVRP
PSSM / ASM ?

11. Mine action authorities operate with a clear
politically agreed mandate, and treaty-given
goal. Their job is "technical."
MINE ACTION AUTHORITIES AND AVRP
AVR its not (only) a technical exercise.
Violence is "productive" for some social,
political and economic actors, and AVR is not a
neutral process that is always locally-led.
Implementing political frameworks (PoA) makes
things much more difficult. AVR is even more
complex and "unsupported."
Multi‐partner co‐operation and coordination is
needed among governmental authorities and
civil society, national agencies, and regional
organizations;
Technical – Political

12. AVRP
Programming
Institutional
Capacities
for AVRPInclusive
Approach
Multi-partner
cooperation
Multi
Sector
Approach
Evidence
Based
Programs
Source: OECD 2011
KEY ATTRIBUTES OF PROMISING AVRP
PRACTICES

13. www.genevadeclaration.org
Thank you