The Webinar Series on Gender and Small Arms Control in Papua New Guinea
Over the period 23 September to 1 October 2021, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD) in partnership with the Office of Prime Minister and National Executive Council (NEC) of Papua New Guinea, conducted a webinar series on gender and small arms control targeting government officials. The series comprised four sessions, held respectively on 23, 24, 30 September and 1 October 2021.
The webinar series was organized in the framework of the In-Country Training Programme (ICTP) on Gender mainstreaming small arms control, which is part of a global project in support of gender mainstreamed policies, programmes and actions in the fight against small arms and light weapons (SALW) trafficking and misuse, in line with the Women, Peace and Security agenda with funding from the European Union. Topics included; gender-based violence and links with small arms proliferation and misuse; gender analysis and sex- and age disaggregated data collection; gender-responsive small arms control at the policy, legislation / regulatory and operational levels. The training served as a baseline assessment to identify gaps and opportunities with regard to small arms control and gender issues for future assistance in the framework of the ICTP and complementary projects. The event aimed to translate the in-country training – originally planned to be conducted in person in Porth Moresby in January 2021 – in a virtual format, due to the persisting restrictions on travelling.
UNRCPD developed the methodology and the materials that were presented on the main sessions and provided administrative and logistical support throughout the series. The Office of Prime Minister and NEC coordinated the selection and gathering of the national participants, who joined the virtual sessions from the conference room of the Office of Prime Minister and NEC and the Office of the Security Coordination and Assessment (OSCA). Other national participants connected virtually via zoom.
For further information, please contact Ida Scarpino, Regional Project Coordinator – Gender & Small Arms and Light Weapons, at the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific, via e-mail at ida.scarpino@un.org.