On 8 September, the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) held an open session to commemorate the 2021 Africa Amnesty Month. In his opening remarks, the AUPSC Chair for the month of September, also Permanent Representative of Chad to Ethiopia and the African Union, Ambassador Mahamad Ali Hassan, encouraged active participation and enhanced collaboration in monitoring the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons (SALW) by developing practical programs. He highlighted the disruptive nature of illegal weapons and their circulation in various parts of Africa, contributing to the disruption of livelihoods and destruction of development.

UNOAU’s Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG), Hanna Tetteh, conveyed the UN’s commitment to supporting the AU’s initiative on Silencing the Guns in Africa. She reiterated the value that the UN places on the commemoration of the Africa Amnesty month initiative, which contributes to building closer ties between communities and law enforcement processes to surrender illegal arms and reduce the proliferation of illicit weapons. She further briefed of the UN support, through the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, to seven countries during the commemoration of Africa Amnesty month in 2020.

She added that the UN will extend support to more countries in the areas of stockpile management advocacy, awareness raising, collection of illegally acquired arms, community-oriented policing, and weapons collection, among others. She further informed of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) support, in collaboration with regional mechanisms, to various countries in capacity building, legislation reform, firearms marking, investigations and prosecution, including information sharing between and among member states in support of the Silencing the Guns initiative. She further indicated the readiness of the UN to support the ten-year action plan being developed to bring the activities and focus of Amnesty month closer to the African people.