The Global Week of Action Against Gun Violence, organised by the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) runs from 15-21 June 2009. In the course of this period, events are held in over 80 countries across the world, aimed at drawing attention to the human costs associated with proliferation and misuse of guns.

Campaigners in The Gambia are also in the thick of things, joining their colleagues around the world in demanding effective policies to stem the flow of guns and make communities safer. According a media release from the country coordinator of the West African Network on Peacebuilding (WANEP-Gambia), Pamela Cole, The Gambia Action Network on Small Arms, coordinated by WANEP, will conduct a series of engagements as part of this year's activities, such as sensitisation of its members and other stakeholders as well as courtesy calls on relevant ministries.

According to the release, this move is designed to advocate for active participation in further discussions on the proposed treaty and enhance awareness on the dangers of arms proliferation for the ultimate realization of an arms trade treaty.

This year's campaign, the release went on, targets the need for The Gambia Government to take an active role in the forthcoming United Nations discussions on an Arms Trade Treaty. "The need for a strong Arms Treaty is urgent; 1000 people are killed every day by conventional weapons. The idea of the treaty received overwhelming support in the UN in December last year, with only one country voting against it," the release states.

It added: "We are proud that The Gambia has supported the resolution at the UN, last December, but this will be rendered meaningless unless it is translated into practical action. It is vital that the government participates fully in the UN working group discussions in July and argue for tough and effective treaty to control this deadly trade."

The release went on: "The treaty should ban transfers of arms or ammunition in five instances: when those weapons will be used for gross violation of international human rights or humanitarian laws; when they would also undermine development or involve corruption, provoke or worsen armed conflicts, contribute to violent crime and/or risk being diverted towards terrorist acts. These restrictions should not be controversial, but some countries with vested interest will try to block them."

The GANSA coordinator, Pamela Cole, said, "Our government must step forward now to argue for a tough arms trade treaty. Otherwise, the voice of less scrupulous countries will prevail, and dangerous arms transfers will continue unchecked". The Gambia Action Network on Small Arms, formed in August, 2007, comprises 14 national organisations and networks intervening on the broader thematic areas of peace, coordinated by WANEP.

GANSA is a member of IANSA, the global movement against gun violence, which is a network of 800 civil society organisations working in 120 countries in efforts to stop the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons in Africa (SALW). IANSA was first launched in 2001. The Global week of Action against Gun violence has grown to be the longest coordinated gun violence prevention campaign in the world.