US Servas | Key Person Workshop Report

UN Reports |

Summer 2003

US Servas Promotes Millennium Goals While Furthering the Cause of Peace

By Sharon L. Wallenberg, Main US Servas UN Rep

The biennial United Nations Small Arms and Light Weapons conference was held in New York during July 2003. The United States Servas UN delegation under the leadership of Sharon Wallenberg furthered the cause of Peace by participating in the SALW Conference. This issue is of special concern to the US citizens and US Servas members because unfortunately the small arms and light weapons which are causing death, destruction, lack of security and lack of peace all over the world are manufactured primarily in the United States.

Sixty people an hour worldwide are killed by illicit weapons and misuse of small arms. Heightened awareness of the proliferation is needed to combat this global scourge. Africa in particular has many conflicts and civil wars. Diamonds and other valuables fuel a network of illicit arms traffickers. There is loss of innocent lives, destruction, and desolation. Civilian populations flee the deadly attacks creating the tragedy of displaced people. The civilian population is also becoming heavily armed. Ironically, Africa has no arms manufacturers.

The problem of illicit trafficking of small arms and lightweight weapons is not limited to any one place. It is increasingly a global problem. Small arms are easily carried by children and youth who are abducted and forced to become soldiers. There are several hundred thousand girls and boys in the world today who have been forced to become soldiers. They are separated from their families, subjected to torture and forced to commit atrocities

The UN Program of Action seeks to prevent and eliminate trafficking of small arms and light weapons. This should be on the forefront of international priorities. A global approach is needed for binding international rules and standards. National legislation in the supply countries should obligate manufacturers to mark weapons for identification so that confiscated weapons can be traced. This is already required in Europe.

United States Servas members can demonstrate the political will to make these goals a reality. Please contact your elected officials and urge them to initiate or support legislation to require all US weapon manufacturers to clearly mark weapons for identification as is already required in Europe, and to ratify the UN Plan of Action. Please help create some accountability in this problem. Too many innocent lives have already been lost. Please support this important peace issue.

United States Servas, under the direction of Sharon Wallenberg took the opportunity of the Small Arms and Light Weapon conference in New York to further the United Nations Millennium Goals. They are:

Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
Achieve universal primary education.
Promote gender equality and empower women.
Reduce child mortality.
Improve maternal health.
Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.
Ensure environmental sustainability.
Develop a Global Partnership for Development.

According to the UN, “obstetric fistula, the most devastating of all pregnancy – related disabilities, occurs when a young, poor girl has a complicated labour and needs a Caesarean section but cannot get one. The baby usually dies and the mother suffers extensive tissue damage to her birth canal which renders her incontinent. She experiences constant leakage of urine or faeces and is often subject to humiliation, shame, and forced to live in isolation.

“Although obstetric fistula is both preventable and treatable, around 50 – 100,000 new cases occur each year. It is estimated that more than 2 million women are living with obstetric fistula today and prevalence is highest in impoverished communities in Africa and Asia.”

United States Servas took the initiative of organizing an informal meeting on Maternal Health. Sharon Wallenberg, US Servas Main Rep invited some of the African NGO Representatives attending the SALW Conference along with Representatives a local Long Island NGO who provide all forms of assistance to pregnant women. In addition, member Doctors volunteer their time and expertise to travel to Ghanna periodically to train local midwives to recognize high risk pregnancies, perform surgery for women suffering with conditions resulting from lack of pre-natal care, such as obstetric fistula, and provide other medical care for mothers and their infants.

As a result of this meeting, an OBS/GYN NGO Rep from Zambia invited the Long Island NGO to Zambia, and a General Practitioner from Democratic Republic of the Congo, invited them to the Congo. A woman representing a Peace NGO from Senegal in West Africa, and other woman representing a Peace NGO from Uganda in East Africa, were both very interested. We hope by follow up e-mails that partnering can be done in these areas as well. Also attending was Roberto Lavalle from the Mission of Guatemala representing Ambassador Gert Rosenthal, the President of ECOSOC, who was in Geneva at the time of the meeting. United States Servas presently has an application pending for affiliation with ECOSOC.

For more information about US Servas' UN activities or to get involved, contact the main US Servas UN Rep, Sharon Wallenberg at sharonw77@hotmail.com.


UN Reports \| Summer 2003 US Servas Promotes Millennium Goals While Furthering the Cause of Peace By Sharon L. Wallenberg, Main US Servas UN Rep The biennial United Nations Small Arms and Light Weapons conference was held in New York during July 2003. The United States Servas UN delegation under the leadership of Sharon Wallenberg furthered the cause of Peace by participating in the SALW Conference. This issue is of special concern to the US citizens and US Servas members because unfortunately the small arms and light weapons which are causing death, destruction, lack of security and lack of peace all over the world are manufactured primarily in the United States. Sixty people an hour worldwide are killed by illicit weapons and misuse of small arms. Heightened awareness of the proliferation is needed to combat this global scourge. Africa in particular has many conflicts and civil wars. Diamonds and other valuables fuel a network of illicit arms traffickers. There is loss of innocent lives, destruction, and desolation. Civilian populations flee the deadly attacks creating the tragedy of displaced people. The civilian population is also becoming heavily armed. Ironically, Africa has no arms manufacturers. The problem of illicit trafficking of small arms and lightweight weapons is not limited to any one place. It is increasingly a global problem. Small arms are easily carried by children and youth who are abducted and forced to become soldiers. There are several hundred thousand girls and boys in the world today who have been forced to become soldiers. They are separated from their families, subjected to torture and forced to commit atrocities The UN Program of Action seeks to prevent and eliminate trafficking of small arms and light weapons. This should be on the forefront of international priorities. A global approach is needed for binding international rules and standards. National legislation in the supply countries should obligate manufacturers to mark weapons for identification so that confiscated weapons can be traced. This is already required in Europe. United States Servas members can demonstrate the political will to make these goals a reality. Please contact your elected officials and urge them to initiate or support legislation to require all US weapon manufacturers to clearly mark weapons for identification as is already required in Europe, and to ratify the UN Plan of Action. Please help create some accountability in this problem. Too many innocent lives have already been lost. Please support this important peace issue. United States Servas, under the direction of Sharon Wallenberg took the opportunity of the Small Arms and Light Weapon conference in New York to further the United Nations Millennium Goals. They are: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. Achieve universal primary education. Promote gender equality and empower women. Reduce child mortality. Improve maternal health. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. Ensure environmental sustainability. Develop a Global Partnership for Development. According to the UN, “obstetric fistula, the most devastating of all pregnancy – related disabilities, occurs when a young, poor girl has a complicated labour and needs a Caesarean section but cannot get one. The baby usually dies and the mother suffers extensive tissue damage to her birth canal which renders her incontinent. She experiences constant leakage of urine or faeces and is often subject to humiliation, shame, and forced to live in isolation. “Although obstetric fistula is both preventable and treatable, around 50 – 100,000 new cases occur each year. It is estimated that more than 2 million women are living with obstetric fistula today and prevalence is highest in impoverished communities in Africa and Asia.” United States Servas took the initiative of organizing an informal meeting on Maternal Health. Sharon Wallenberg, US Servas Main Rep invited some of the African NGO Representatives attending the SALW Conference along with Representatives a local Long Island NGO who provide all forms of assistance to pregnant women. In addition, member Doctors volunteer their time and expertise to travel to Ghanna periodically to train local midwives to recognize high risk pregnancies, perform surgery for women suffering with conditions resulting from lack of pre-natal care, such as obstetric fistula, and provide other medical care for mothers and their infants. As a result of this meeting, an OBS/GYN NGO Rep from Zambia invited the Long Island NGO to Zambia, and a General Practitioner from Democratic Republic of the Congo, invited them to the Congo. A woman representing a Peace NGO from Senegal in West Africa, and other woman representing a Peace NGO from Uganda in East Africa, were both very interested. We hope by follow up e-mails that partnering can be done in these areas as well. Also attending was Roberto Lavalle from the Mission of Guatemala representing Ambassador Gert Rosenthal, the President of ECOSOC, who was in Geneva at the time of the meeting. United States Servas presently has an application pending for affiliation with ECOSOC. For more information about US Servas' UN activities or to get involved, contact the main US Servas UN Rep, Sharon Wallenberg at sharonw77@hotmail.com.
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