Posted: Nov 22, 2021 20:03 GMT
The Mexican Foreign Minister, Marcelo Ebrard, called on the arms companies to implement actions of self-regulation and monitoring of their production, distribution and marketing chains.
Mexico warned this Monday before the Security Council of the United Nations Organization (UN) about the impact generated by the diversion and illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons in the world, assuring that they represent a threat to international peace and security. .
During the open debate held on November 22, the Foreign Minister of Mexico, Marcelo Ebrard, considered that the efforts of the nations have been “insufficient” to safeguard the civilian population from the direct effects of the use of these weapons, particularly in territories in armed conflict or with “high levels of criminal violence”.
“Every day around 500 people lose their lives and another 2,000 are injured by firing of a firearm in the world, “said Ebrard in his speech.
Likewise, the Mexican Foreign Minister warned that Latin America presents each year figures of violence and deaths by firearms higher than those reported in areas where an armed conflict is taking place. “In about 75% of homicides and femicides a weapon of this nature is involved,” he denounced.
According to Ebrard, the illicit trade in small arms has a “disproportionate impact” in the case of women, girls and boys.
In detail, the Chancellor provided figures on the gender impact of this phenomenon, since “more than 8,000 girls and boys have died or been mutilated in 21 situations of armed conflict.”
Arms companies
As president of the United Nations Security Council, Mexico called on arms companies to implement self-regulation and monitoring actions of their production, distribution and marketing chains to prevent the arms and ammunition they manufacture from reaching “criminal hands.”
Ebrard pointed out that while arms companies “maintain abundant and growing incomes” through “irresponsible” practices, the illicit arms and ammunition trafficking “seriously affects the civilian population, destroys the social fabric and encourages violence against the most vulnerable groups. “.
In the opinion of the Mexican Foreign Minister, if there were not one “almost unlimited availability of weapons“Most of the armed conflicts under the agenda of the UN Security Council,” would have more opportunities for peaceful solutions.
Lawsuit against gun manufacturers
On August 4, the Government of Mexico sued 11 US arms manufacturing companies in the Federal District Court of Massachusetts for “negligent” business practices, including the failure to check the background of buyers and the permissibility in the multiple sale of weapons.
In the litigation, the Mexican Government stated that the companies manufacture some of the weapons that are frequently confiscated by the authorities of that country from criminal organizations and, therefore, would be responsible for the high levels of violence experienced by the Latin American nation.
The lawsuit was admitted and US companies have until Monday to respond. The litigation is expected to continue until next year. The Government of Mexico could present its reply until January 31, 2022, and the companies would have until February 28 to deliver a counter reply to the Court.
In this context, Mexico called on the Security Council for member states to implement comprehensive, cross-border controls to stop the flow of weapons and ammunition. In detail, Ebrard asked to address the “complete life cycle of weapons”, including the commercialization and transfer of arms and ammunition to guarantee global security.
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