In an Intervention to the Group of Experts on the Problem of Ammunition and Explosives, Maat Calls for the Adoption of an Effective Risk Management System

OKeil: Member states should take measures to ensure the protection of individuals and the environment from the dangers of exploding conventional ammunition

Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights presented a joint oral intervention, in cooperation with the Global Coalition for Limitation of Armaments (GCLA), on "the risks arising from the increasing stockpile of conventional ammunition", on the sidelines of its participation in the meeting of the open-ended expert group on conventional ammunition.

The intervention indicated that the unsecured or poorly managed conventional ammunition stockpiles pose a grave danger to public safety, given the risks of explosions or environmental pollution. Moreover, poorly managed or unsecured ammunition stockpiles can easily be diverted to illicit markets, which, in turn, may increase deaths resulting from various forms of armed violence..

It also confirmed that armed groups took advantage of the war against terrorist organizations to store weapons, and this is clearly reflected in the increased risk of unplanned explosions in weapons and ammunition storage facilities, especially in densely populated areas, causing civilian casualties. This scenario has occurred in Libya and Iraq, where armed militias have justified their presence in the field confrontations, possession of weapons and ammunition, and even accumulating them by the dangers posed by ISIS, Al-Qaeda among others on the security of the state and society.

In this context, Ayman Okeil, the international human rights expert stressed in his intervention that the fighters’ storage of weapons is the main source of waves of cross-border violence in the countries experiencing armed conflicts. In addition, it represents a pressing obstacle to the reconstruction of collapsed or fractured countries in a manner that requires the adoption of a set of mechanisms through which it is possible to prevent the storage of weapons, especially small and medium ones, inside homes, hospitals, schools and museums. These weapons are widely used within countries, especially in light of the flare-up of disputes between armed factions and militias.

Okeil recommended member states to adopt corrective, safe, and sustainable measures to manage the stockpile of conventional ammunition, through which it can ensure the protection of individuals and the environment from the dangers of exploding or diverting the course of this ammunition.

Finally, Maat recommended the United Nations to provide a comprehensive framework that includes the political commitments to manage the stockpile of conventional ammunition, to be agreed upon by all the parties, and to adopt a strong, effective and integrated risk management system in the operations of conventional ammunition stockpile management and planning.