ARMS FREE MACEDONIA!

SPEAK OUT CAMPAIGN

Global Week of ActionAgainst Gun Violence
is a global initiative of IANSA

Civil held a press conference marking the beginning of the Global Week of Action Against Gun Violence, yesterday in the NGO InfoCenter. Civil’s representatives Xhabir Deralla and Kristina Trajanovska presented alarming facts on proliferation of weapons and gun violence in worldwide and in Macedonia. They also spoke on the circulation of illegal weapons and gun culture in the country, promoting the slogan “Arms Free Macedonia”.

Civil’s representatives briefly presented their analysis on the motives for arms possession among the population in Macedonia, based on the 11-year-long experience of the organization in the arms control domain.

Results from the Parliamentarian Declaration campaign for support of the global Arms Trade Treaty, which was signed by 87 Members of the Macedonian Parliament. The remaining parliamentarians were publicly invited to sign the Declaration during this week.

These information and analysis led to the set of recommendations to the Government of the Republic of Macedonia about taking short and long term steps towards overcoming of arms related challenges in the country. The recommendations include organizing new amnesty for voluntary surrender of illegal weapon, incorporating a developmental component in that action.

Civil appeals to the citizens to restrain from celebratory firing during the coming season of family festivities. At the end of the press conference, Civil presented its program of activities during the Global Week of Action, including the online and offline SPEAK OUT petition of Control Arms. Civil organizes an evening event on Wednesday, June 13, beginning 21:00 in the Menada Club (Skopje Old Town).

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Civil is a member organization of the International Action Week on Small Arms (IANSA) and of the global Control Arms coalition. Arms control, next to the human rights, peace and tolerance, is one of the main programmatic commitments of Civil in the Annual Program and the long-term Strategy of the Organization. The Annual Program of Civil is supported by the Civica Mobilitas Programme, financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), implemented by the Center for Institutional Development (CIRa).