Monday, November 4, 2013
: 1:24 p.m. - 1:42 p.m.
Maria Valenti,
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Somerville, MA
According to the World Health Organization, hundreds of thousands of people die each year from small arms violence, with millions more maimed or traumatized. The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), adopted by overwhelming vote by the United Nations on April 2, 2013, is the first international treaty aimed at regulating international transfers of conventional arms that contribute to this crisis. The ATT includes explicit prohibitions against states authorizing arms transfers under certain circumstances, including where there is knowledge that the arms would be used to perpetrate war crimes, genocide, attacks against civilians, and other grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions. It creates a new global norm against which states' practice will be measured by other states and by international civil society. International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) serves on the Control Arms Steering Board that coordinated the NGO movement to help develop and pass the Treaty. This presentation will address key points of the Treaty, its entry into force, and how the public health community can be involved in its implementation and monitoring.
Learning Areas:
Public health or related public policy
Learning Objectives:
Describe the major aspects of the Arms Trade Treaty.
Describe the roles of public health workers in promoting awareness of the Arms Trade Treaty and facilitating its implementation.
Keyword(s): Firearms, Violence Prevention
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Maria Valenti Directs the Aiming for Prevention (AFP) program of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), a Nobel Peace Prize-winning federation with medical affiliates in 62 countries. AFP focuses on the public health approach to preventing armed violence. IPPNW serves on the Board of the Control Arms Coalition, the NGO alliance that helped develop and pass the Treaty over the past decade. Valenti is IPPNWâs co-representative to the CAC.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
