WILPF's statement to the Preparatory Meeting of the Ninth Conference of States Parties (CSP9) to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT)
The Working Group meetings and Second Informal Preparatory Meeting of the Ninth Conference of States Parties (CSP9) to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) took place in Geneva on 9–12 May 2023. WILPF delivered a statement under the discussion about the priority theme for the Korean Presidency on 'the role of industry in responsible international transfers of conventional arms’.
WILPF statement on the Working Paper by the President of CSP9 - "The role of industry in responsible international transfers on conventional arms"
12 May 2023
Delivered by Laura Varella
The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) welcomes the choice by the Korean Presidency of the role of industry in international transfers as the CSP9 President’s priority theme. Unfortunately, the President’s paper seems more concerned with “reputational risk” to weapons manufacturers than it does with the human suffering caused globally by their war profiteering.
In WILPF’s very first resolution in 1915, our organisation called on states to create an international agreement that would “take over the manufacture of arms and munitions of war and should control all...
WILPF's statement about the arms industry to the Preparatory Meeting of CSP9
The Working Group meetings and First Informal Preparatory Meeting of the Ninth Conference of States Parties (CSP9) to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) took place in Geneva on 14–17 February 2023. WILPF delivered a statement under the discussion about the priority theme for the Korean Presidency on ‘the role of industry in responsible international transfers of conventional arms’.
WILPF Statement on the priority theme of the Korean Presidency CSP9 PrepCom
17 February 2023
The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) welcomes the choice by the Korean Presidency of “the role of industry in responsible international transfers of conventional arms” as the CSP9 President’s priority theme. We believe that discussing the role of the industry is essential to address the impact by arms transfers, and to fulfil theATT’s purpose of reducing human suffering.
A recent valuable contribution to the topic, and one that should be considered by the ATT states parties in their discussions, is the 2022 Information Note elaborated by the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights about responsible business conduct in the arms sector. In this Information Note, the working...
WILPF's statement about the review of the ATT Programme of Work to the Preparatory Meeting of CSP9
The Working Group meetings and First Informal Preparatory Meeting of the Ninth Conference of States Parties (CSP9) to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) took place in Geneva on 14–17 February 2023. WILPF delivered a statement under the discussion about the review of the ATT Programme of Work.
WILPF STATEMENT ON THE REVIEW OF THE ATT PROGRAMME OF WORK CSP9 PREPCOM
17 February 2023
Delivered by Laura Varella
The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) welcomes the Management Committee’s (MC’s) preparation of the Background Paper reviewing the ATT Programme of Work (ATT/CSP9.MC/2023/MC/747/PM1.BackgrPaper), and takes note of other recent efforts which consider the impact of the Treaty’s processes and forums, such as the 2021 report by SIPRI, Taking Stock of the Arms Trade Treaty: Achievements, Challenges and Ways Forward .
WILPF believes that the current Programme of Work which consists of established working groups and intersessional preparatory meetings, presents several positive attributes. For instance, the working groups allow states parties and other stakeholders to engage in discussions that are more detailed and focused than is usually possible...
WILPF's statement to the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67)
WILPF's official statement to the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67)
14 December 2022
In all discussions regarding technology, gender matters. It matters because technology and innovation reflect the different visions of how societies are advancing gender equality and creating possible futures. There have been world-altering developments to help us communicate, collect data, document human rights violations, improve health and wellbeing, and enhance access to innovation. Women activists have used technology to amplify their safety and the safety of their communities.
Technology reflects, enhances, and embodies many of the same characteristics and qualities of the offline world. Therefore, technological developments often reflect the capitalist and destructive priorities of our world, which are frequently skewed towards brutal competition, violence, unsustainable production and consumption, and reinforcement of detrimental hierarchies and elite power. These have evidently disproportionate and differentiated gendered dynamics and impacts, which are producing tangible consequences on women’s rights.
Patriarchal systems impact which...
WILPF statement on the final draft political declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas
The fifth and final consultation on the political declaration on EWIPA took place in Geneva, on 17 June 2023. WILPF delivered the following statement. Thank you to the mission of Ireland for taking the initiative on this declaration, and for inviting civil society to participate in this process. WILPF commends you for all your efforts to hold inclusive consultations and to ensure transparency throughout. We also welcome the constructive contributions from states, international organisations, and civil society, including affected communities, which have tirelessly contributed these past years to build this declaration and strengthen the protection of civilians against the harm from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. For over a decade, we have been working together to address the unconscionable levels of death and harm caused by bombing towns, cities, and villages. The pattern of civilian harm deriving from the use of these weapons has been well documented by civil society and humanitarian agencies. For countless times during these negotiations, different actors have highlighted that when explosive weapons are used in populated areas, over 90 per cent of...
WILPF Closing Statement to the Fourth Consultations on the Draft Political Declaration on the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas
The fourth consultations on a political declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA) took place in Geneva, from 6–8 April. WILPF delivered the following statement on 8 April 2022.
WILPF statement on Section 3 of the second revised draft political declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas
The fourth consultations on a political declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA) took place in Geneva, from 6–8 April. WILPF delivered the following statement on Section 3 of the declaration, on 7 April 2022. WILPF supports the comments on this revised text made by the International Network on Explosive Weapons (INEW), of which WILPF is a steering committee member. As an organisation, WILPF has a few points to raise or amplify: 3.3 is the core commitment of the declaration and must set the strongest possible standard. It should also be moved up in the declaration, as other commitments flow from it. The goal should be to end the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. This could be enacted through a commitment to not use EWIPA. While WILPF welcomes a commitment related to addressing reverberating effects of the use of EWIPA, 3.4 seems to assume that attacks in populated areas are legitimate and will continue. This paragraph could be better qualified to avoid that presumption, for example by saying: Assess and take steps to prevent direct, indirect, and reverberating effects on civilians and civilian objects, including by not using...
WILPF statement on Section 4 of the second revised draft political declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas
The fourth consultations on a political declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA) took place in Geneva, from 6–8 April. WILPF delivered the following statement on Section 4 of the declaration, on 7 April 2022. WILPF supports the comments on this revised text made by the International Network on Explosive Weapons (INEW), of which WILPF is a member. As an organisation, WILPF has a few points to raise or amplify: 4.1 should urge international cooperation and assistance among all relevant stakeholders to exchange information and experiences in enhancing the protection of civilians, ending the use of EWIPA, and preventing armed conflict. In 4.2: The reference to “where feasible and appropriate” should be removed in relation to collecting and sharing data. Data collection on civilian harm should be disaggregated by sex and gender, age, and disability. Data collection should also include recording of destruction and damage to civilian objects or infrastructure. As noted earlier, commitments on data collection in the declaration should call for collection of data on the types, locations, and effects of weapon(s) used, to better track which...
WILPF statement on Section 1 of the second revised draft political declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas
The fourth consultations on a political declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA) took place in Geneva, from 6–8 April. WILPF delivered the following statement on Section 1 of the declaration, on 6 April 2022. Thank you to the mission of Ireland for hosting these consultations and inviting civil society to participate. WILPF welcomes the revised draft political declaration. It is imperative that the declaration promote a presumption against the use of EWIPA and seek to end this deadly and destructive practice. WILPF supports the detailed comments on this revised text made by the International Network on Explosive Weapons (INEW), of which WILPF is a member. We have a few points to raise or amplify and have submitted these in writing: Paragraphs 1.2 and 1.3 should use the language that the use of EWIPA does have these impacts, rather than can have these impacts. 1.2 should add a reference to the gendered and other differentiated impacts on marginalised people from the use of EWIPA. In 1.3, the destruction of hospitals and markets should be added to the list of affected sites. Rather than saying such destruction “further aggravates civilian...
WILPF statement on Section 2 of the second revised draft political declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas
The fourth consultations on a political declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA) took place in Geneva, from 6–8 April. WILPF delivered the following statement on Section 2 of the declaration, on 6 April 2022. WILPF supports the comments on this revised text made by the International Network on Explosive Weapons (INEW), of which WILPF is a member. We also wanted to suggest the following: This section only recognises international human rights law (IHRL) briefly and focuses mostly on international humanitarian law (IHL). A new paragraph could be added that specifies that states continue to have obligations to respect, protect, and fulfil human rights in armed conflict, must exercise due diligence when using explosive weapons, and must assess their human rights impacts.
War “Over” Ukraine: Militarism is Killing Us All
On 28 January 2022, WILPF's Secretary General Madeleine Rees delivered an open letter to the UN Security Council.
International Women’s Day for Peace and Disarmament: Prioritise Lives, Not Weapons!
WILPF's statement for the 2021 International Women’s Day for Peace and Disarmament.
75th Hiroshima and Nagasaki Commemoration
Remarks by Ray Acheson, Director of Reaching Critical Will of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF); International Steering Group Representative of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) to the Canadian Network to Abolish Nuclear Weapons commemoration of the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 6 August 2020.
WILPF International Secretariat Statement on Systemic Racism and Police Brutality
The WILPF International Secretariat issued the following statement in 2020 response to the epidemic of racist police brutality in the United States and globally.
Joint Civil Society Statement on Gender and Disarmament to the 2019 UN General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament and International Security
The following statement was drafted by the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and endorsed by several NGOs (see below for list). It was delivered to the UN General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament and International Security on 18 October 2019.
WILPF Statement to the Vienna Conference on Protecting Civilians in Urban Warfare
This statement was prepared for the Vienna Conference on Protecting Civilians in Urban Warfare hosted by the government of Austria from 1 to 2 October 2019. We meet here as civilians are dying around the world from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. This horrific and unacceptable practice has increased steadily. Yet while this issue is regularly highlighted as a top humanitarian concern by a growing chorus of voices, a strong and effective response to stop this humanitarian tragedy from repeatedly occurring has so far eluded us. The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), a steering committee member of the International Network on Explosive Weapons (INEW), thanks the government of Austria for convening this conference and giving this issue the focused and dedicated attention that it deserves. In the context of this panel discussion on direct civilian harm we want to illustrate that while the indiscriminate bombing of towns and cities may seem gender-blind, there are serious gendered impacts that are largely unaccounted for when those using weapons are assessing attacks and damage, or when others develop policies to rebuild post-violence. In...
2019 International Day of Peace
The following is a presentation delivered by Reaching Critical Will’s Director, Ray Acheson, at an event to commemorate the International Day of Peace hosted by Black Rose Books on 21 September 2019 in Montreal, Canada.
WILPF Statement to the UN Open-Ended Working Group on Information and Communication Technologies
WILPF delivered the following statement to the September session of the Open-ended Working Group on developments in the field of information and telecommunications in the context of international security.
WILPF Statement to the Fifth Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty on treaty implementation
WILPF delivered the following statement to the Fifth Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty's consideration of issues related to gender and gender-based violence on 28 August 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland. Next week, arms companies from around the world will be setting up shop in London for DSEI, one of the biggest arms fairs in the world. Government officials will meet with arms dealers to make the sales that fuel conflict, violence, and repression around the world. The weapons on display there today will be used in conflicts tomorrow. Activists will once again work to shut down the arms fair and will likely be arrested for trying to prevent future atrocities. Here in Geneva, delegates to this meeting of the only legally binding treaty regulating the international arms trade have an obligation to do whatever they can to show that they intendto put people over profits. Unfortunately, as in years past, several ATT states parties are sending the opposite signal to the world. Many continue to transfer arms to Saudi Arabia, which has been relentlessly bombing populated areas in Yemen, destroying hospitals, schools, markets, and homes. These arms transfers have...