PRESS BRIEFING TO LAUNCH BILLION MOM MARCH

PRESS BRIEFING TO LAUNCH BILLION MOM MARCH

The women who marched through the streets of the world raising their voices on behalf of present and future generations should translate their grief into a force for mobilizing world action against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, Jayantha Dhanapala told correspondents at a press briefing this afternoon to launch the "Billion Mom March".

Mother's Day on 13 May 2001 marks the launch of worldwide year-round mobilization of a billion mothers, grandmothers, and mothers-to-be against gun- and other violence in what is expected to become the largest mass movement in human history.  The Billion Mom March initiative was born in the Women's Caucus on Small Arms during the Preparatory Committee meetings of the United Conference on Illicit Trade of Small Arms in All its Aspects in March.

The first "Million Mom March" took place last year in the United States. More than a million mothers had participated nationwide demanding safer gun laws, including 750,000 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.  This year the Million Mom March will visit legislators in 33 State Capitols, stage a cybermarch, and is conducting a letter-writing campaign to ask the mothers and wives of President Bush and congressional leaders to impress on their sons and husbands the importance of safer gun laws.

At today's press conference, which was sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations, Mr. Dhanapala congratulated the "Million Mom March" for its initiative and pledged the cooperation of the United Nations.

The Under-Secretary-General said he was at the briefing to focus on the international dimension and the role of the United Nations in combating the proliferation of small arms and light weapons and their destabilizing accumulation.  There were an estimated 500 million or more small arms throughout the world, some of them in the hands of 300,000-odd children who were used or abused as child soldiers.  He warmly welcomed the support the mothers, grandmothers and mothers-to-be in the Organization's efforts to create a safer world free of the scourge of small arms.

Mr. Dhanapala said that in the 1990s alone more than two million children died as a result of armed conflict.  In those conflicts small arms had been the weapons of choice.  The threat of small arms and light weapons had not only led to the sad deaths of children and others but had also increased psychological trauma, malnutrition and the prevention of education. 

In that context, the Under Secretary-General continued, the cooperation among Member States, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the international community was vital.  Within the United Nations system the Department for Disarmament Affairs had been designated as the focal point.  But there was also the Coordinating Action on Small Arms (CASA) mechanism which "has helped us to work with all sections of the United Nations System in focusing and coordinating the attention of the Organization on the subject of small arms proliferation, he said.  "We are also now

working closely with Member States to strengthen the humanitarian aspect of

the programme of action for the upcoming Small Arms and Light Weapons Conference".

Three sessions of the Preparatory Committee for the Conference had now been concluded, Mr. Dhanapala went on to say.  "We have finalized the procedural aspects, in particular the participation of NGOs.  The Secretariat had already put on its Web site and circulated to those organizations and Member States the details regarding the participation of civil society entities".  He hoped NGOs would respond in time.  "We have indicated that we would like applications for accreditation to the Conference to come in by 31 May", he said.  Those applications should be addressed to the Chief of the Convention on Arms Branch of the Department of Disarmament Affairs.  He urged the relevant civil society organizations to respond to that request in a timely fashion.

Elvi Ruottinen, Spokesperson for the "Billion Mom March" said, "we will continue to grow and march until all our children are safe".  That meant all the world's children, she stressed.  There was a growing realization in the hearts of women all over the world that they would have to do that together.

A correspondent noted that the programme of action called for action at three levels –- national, regional and global.  Obviously whenever the United Nations got involved with anything that was national there were problems.  How then did the Under Secretary-General see the Billion Mom/Million Mom March and other such movements affecting the recommendations in the programme of action on the national level?

Mr. Dhanapala said the impact of "Billion Mom March" would be felt at all levels.  Civil society actors would have great influence in shaping the programme of action in the national areas specifically with regard to legislation that countries would have on the proliferation of small arms and light weapons and the illicit trade in particular.  "There is a great deal of impact that they can make within countries through their legislatures and governments to ensure that the programme of action is in fact implemented", he said.

Beyond that, continued Mr. Dhanapala, he believed that the need for civil society to raise awareness of the issue in terms of regional and international cooperation was critical. 

Mindy Finklestein also read out a statement by Mary Leigh Black, President of the "Million Mom March".  On August 10th 1999 Ms. Finklestein, a camp counsellor, at the North Valley Jewish Community Centre, was shot along with three other children, an elderly receptionist, and postal carrier.

According to Ms. Black's statement, the "Million Mom March" had come together with the "Billion Mom March" to work for common sense gun laws that would protect children and loved ones all over the world.  They were coming together to help ensure that no mother would have to bury bullet-riddled children.  As mothers they knew there were solutions to the tragedy.  "We pledge to find those solutions and get them implemented", said Ms. Black.

A correspondent wanted to know where the billion moms were coming from. Donna Dees Thomases, Founder of the "Million Mom March" said from across the world.  When she had though of organizing the "Million Mom March" she had been told that the idea was too lofty and that people would not march for such an issue.  But over 900,000 took part on the day the March had taken place.  When the suggestion had first been made to do a Billion Mom March her first reaction had been: "Don't do it –- it's too lofty a goal".  But then she remembered that people had said the same thing to her.  "Yet you get a couple of women together and look what happens", she said.

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