Declaration of Incorporation The Global Coalition for Limitation of Armaments (GCLA)

Declaration of Incorporation
The Global Coalition for Limitation of Armaments (GCLA)

Although the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), which imposes strict rules to regulate international arms transfers, has been in place for nearly eight years, illicit global arms trading is still on the rise and continue to fuel human rights violations, especially the right to life and the right to bodily integrity. Some of the world’s largest arms exporters, such as China, Russia, and the United States of America, have not yet ratified the Treaty. Even countries that have ratified this treaty fail to comply with it and continue to sell weapons and ammunition to governments that commit serious human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law, including war crimes.

12 billion bullets are produced every year; that is almost enough to kill everyone in the world twice. Every day, thousands of people are killed, injured and forced to flee their homes because of gun violence and armed conflict. Globally, more than 500 people die every day because of violence committed by firearms. Arms trade deals are also among the most sought-after deals in the world due to local and international wars and conflicts, particularly the Middle East conflicts. Experts estimate that a small portion of the money generated from this trade is sufficient to solve the problems of poverty and unemployment in the world. Global military spending is estimated at about 1981 billion dollars, while the total military spending of eleven countries in the Middle East reached about 143 billion dollars in 2020.

Given its deep interest in establishing peace worldwide and protecting victims of armed conflicts and other acts of violence, Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights sought to establish the “Global Coalition for Limitation of Armaments (GCLA)”. It is the first coalition that works to mobilize and promote the universality of the Arms Trade Treaty in particular and the universality of arms treaties in general and to involve civil society organizations in the dialogue on disarmament-related issues.

Who are we?

Global Coalition for Limitation of Armaments (GCLA) is a group of Arab and international organizations with shared aims to promote the principles and rules of disarmament and non-proliferation and call on the warring parties and their international supporters to put an end to the conflicts that threaten the lives of civilians. This is done through the use of best practices, international standards and atypical solutions to fight the proliferation of weapons, especially in the Middle East and North Africa, which is witnessing many conflicts. Given the great risk of misusing these weapons to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, the efforts and visions of the founders of this Coalition have met on a common agenda based on the fact that awareness of disarmament has become a pressing necessity, in order to reduce the illicit arms trade or the misuse of weapons, to inculcate a culture of peace and security, and to promote pluralism and dialogue.

Reference

The Coalition’s key references are as the follows the international conventions of international humanitarian law, including the four Geneva Conventions; the International Arms Trade Treaty (ATT); the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW); the United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR), especially the ground-breaking Resolution No. 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security, adopted unanimously on 9 December 2015; the General Assembly Resolution No. 64/76 of 2019 on the involvement of youth in the disarmament process; in addition to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly the SDG 16, which encourages the establishment of peaceful and inclusive societies where no one is marginalized, and the SDG 13.

Vision

To live in a peaceful, weapon-free world, where people can thrive and grow. This end can only be met through international partnerships between all stakeholders within the framework of the application of the international law.

Mission

The Coalition seeks to fight the proliferation of weapons and stop the unregulated flow of all kinds of weapons; thus creating a safe and secure environment for all, through disarmament education and working closely with the United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs (UNODA).

Objectives

The Coalition aims to:

• Strengthening the principles and rules of disarmament and non-proliferation;
• providing assistance and advice to governments and stakeholders to develop policies to control the proliferation of arms;
• Mobilizing and raising the awareness of individuals, organizations and stakeholders on the different illicit arms trade-related concepts, by providing training and publishing studies and reports on arms control;
• Strengthening the presence of civil society organizations in the disarmament meetings of the States Parties;
• Digital literacy on weapons proliferation;
• Building youth capacities and integrating them in disarmament issues.

Mechanisms

• Establishing forums and dialogue platforms and holding conferences;
• Exchanging experiences and expertise;
• Organizing joint activities and projects and attracting donors and partners;
• Communicating with UN bodies on disarmament affairs;
• Communicating with policymakers across the world;
• Preparing reports, studies, and research and providing sources of information.

Join the Coalition

The Coalition, which is the first coalition that works to mobilize and promote the universality of the Arms Trade Treaty in particular and the universality of arms treaties in general, welcomes the joining of civil society organizations in the dialogue on disarmament-related issues and seeks to attract a number of international experts concerned with disarmament issues through civil society organizations.

Joining Form