EU-China-Africa Expert Group on conventional arms begins work

The first meeting of the ‘EU-China-Africa Expert Working Group (EWG) on Conventional Arms was held in Brussels on 13 November, hosted by Saferworld.  The EWG is made up of nine high-profile non-proliferation experts from China, Africa and Europe. They will work together to agree on a set of policy recommendations for trilateral co-operation between the EU, China and African countries on small arms control.

The EWG was created under a decision of the Council of the European Union in February 2012, in support of activities to promote EU-China-Africa dialogue and co-operation on conventional arms control. Over the next two years the EWG will engage in several policy dialogues, hold consultations with officials, industry representatives, and civil society, join fact-finding visits to the field, and commission research.  The group will also provide an accessible pool of expertise that policymakers and officials responsible for conventional arms and export controls can draw on.

Bernardo Mariani, Saferworld’s China programme manager says the group will “improve dialogue, interaction, and practical cooperation on conventional arms control amongst Chinese, African, and European policy community actors”.

The first EWG meeting focussed on dialogue around key conventional arms control themes and commitments from the EU and China to assist Africa to combat small arms and light weapons proliferation including: preventing the illegal trade in and excessive accumulation of small arms and light weapons, the lack of regulation at the international level of the legal trade in conventional weapons, tackling proliferation in Africa through international and regional instruments, and the outcomes of the 2012 UN Programme of Action review conference.

Alongside small arms control, progress towards an international Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) will be a key focus for the group. On 14 November members of the EWG joined a number of senior officials and diplomats from European and African states and other experts to discuss progress towards the successful negotiation of an ATT in March 2013. The EWG will next meet in Africa in mid-2013.

Members of the EU-China-Africa expert working group are:

• Major General (retired) Daniel Deng Lual, South Sudan
• Professor Ouyang Liping, China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, China   
• Major General (retired) Zhu Chenghu, National Defence University, China
• General (retired) Henny van der Graaf, Small Arms and Light Weapons Consultant, The Netherlands
• Zhai Dequan, China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, China
• James Bevan, Weapon and Conflict Analyst, United Kingdom
• Ambassador (retired) Ochieng Adala, Africa Peace Forum, Kenya
• Richard Nabudere, Small Arms and Light Weapons Consultant, Uganda
• Claudio Gramizzi, Weapon and Conflict Analyst, Italy

Saferworld works in Africa, Asia and Europe to research and address factors driving the proliferation and misuse of small arms.  We work at both the international and national level to encourage states to focus on the humanitarian impact of small arms and light weapons control and the need for small arms and light weapons control programmes to make a significant and demonstrable impact on the problem.