20 Mar: The Danger of Arms and Ammunition Stockpiles: Proper management of State stockpiles of arms and ammunition is the responsibility of the government. The stark reality, however, is that many stockpiles throughout Africa are decaying rapidly and many governments choose to ignore the situation.
The ISS works towards developing ‘youth perspectives’ on
human security issues including:
The political and military mobilisation of children and youth;
Peace Processes, in particular the Disarmament, Demobilisation
and Reintegration (DDR) components;
Youth, HIV/AIDS and armed conflict.
(Picture by Guy Tillim)
Children in Armed Conflict Project (Interact)
The Interact Project at the ISS was preceded by ACT (Action Plan Project for Children in
Armed Conflict), which was initiated in 1998 as an advocacy effort
against the use of child soldiers. The entry into force of the Optional
Protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
on the use of Children in Armed Conflict in 2002 called for a clearer
understanding of the roles of young people in conflicts, with a view
to informing preventive measures as well as disarmament, demobilization
and reintegration efforts. Interact took on this challenge by
bringing children and youth into the broader debate on human security
in Africa.
Interact was a three-year project (ending in July of 2004), funded
by the Governments of Norway and Canada and the United Nations University
and was affiliated to the ISS Arms Management Programme.
In 2002, Interact commissioned South African History Online to produce “Amulets
and Dreams”, a photo exhibit and photo essay, which were launched
during the African Union Summit in Durban in July of that year. The
exhibit can be viewed at http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/mainframe.htm.
The ISS continues to facilitate research into issued around children and armed conflict through a number of its programmes. The SmallArmsNet.org website also contains a section dealing with the issue.
