On 5th May 2022, QUNO Geneva’s Representative for Peace and Disarmament, Florence Foster, was an expert speaker at the virtual launch of UNIDIR’s Arms-Related Risk Analysis Toolkit. The Toolkit is designed to guide efforts to integrate conventional arms and ammunition-related risks into conflict analysis and conflict prevention, management, and resolution efforts. Based on our historic engagement in and through the Geneva Forum, and our ongoing work on the human impact of all weapons on people and societies, QUNO was part of the process that led to the creation of the toolkit. 

At the launch, Florence Foster emphasized that as the presence and use of arms are the cause and consequences of human rights violations - including economic, social and cultural rights - and contributes to the militarisation of societies, there is potential for this toolkit to address arms-related risks in all contexts, beyond the current focus on conflict affected communities. 

Florence also outlined the benefits and opportunities of a holistic approach to context analysis, with the toolkit helping integrate a better understanding of the arms related risks component to that analysis. Ensuring human rights experts consider arms related risks more systematically and holistically in their analysis and reporting, could for instance help advance shared learning in understanding arms-related risks - helping address grievance driven demands for weapons, better reporting for accountability processes or indeed better redressing the multi-faceted impact they have on the lived experience of individuals and communities.

To watch the full event on youtube, please click here. Florence’s remarks begin at 1.09:14.