Dharamshala: His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and several other religious leaders called on governments to bring the ‘global horror story’ of the arms trade under control in a letter published on 3 October in London’s Times newspaper ahead of a vote on an international arms trade treaty at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“The world is awash with weapons, including an estimated 640 million firearms, or one gun for every 10 people on the planet. This is a global horror story, which plays itself out from the favelas of Brazil to conflict in the Middle East and to the killings in Darfur,” the letter says. “And the vast majority of the victims are not fighters, but ordinary men, women and children.”
The signatories of the letter include His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Norwegian Lutheran Bishop Gunnar Staalsett, Sheikh Musa Muhammad, the chief imam of the Abuja National Mosque in Nigeria, Rabbi David Saperstein of the Religious Action Center in Washington DC, and Swami Agnivesh, president of the World Council of Arya Samaj, India.
Report sent by the Liaison Office, Latin America, New York
Following is the text of the letter published in Times newspaper.
Today, somewhere in the world, a mother will lose her child to armed violence, a young woman will be raped at gunpoint and a family will be forced from their home by conflict. Worldwide, up to 1,000 people are killed every day by gun violence, and many more are maimed or terrorised.
The world is awash with weapons, including an estimated 640 million firearms, or one gun for every ten people on the planet. And all too often, weapons fall into the wrong hands and are used against innocent people.
This is a global horror story, which plays itself out from the favelas of Brazil to conflict in the Middle East and to the killings in Darfur. And the vast majority of the victims are not fighters, but ordinary men, women and children.
There have been international treaties to control the spread of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons for decades. Yet, despite the mounting death toll, there is still no comprehensive treaty governing sales of conventional weapons from handguns to attack helicopters.
This month, the worlds governments have the opportunity to take a vital first step when they vote on an international arms trade treaty at the UN General Assembly in New York. An international arms trade treaty based on governments existing commitments under human rights and humanitarian law would have the power to save hundreds of thousands of lives.
The treaty already has the backing of 55 governments, including much of Africa, Latin America and Europe. It also has widespread popular support: one million people in more than 150 countries have signed the Million Faces Petition calling for tougher arms controls.
As faith leaders from many different countries, we call on the worlds governments to act urgently to bring the arms trade under control.
HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA
THE MOST REVEREND DESMOND TUTU
BISHOP GUNNAR STAALSETT
Executive Committee, World Conference of Religions for Peace
REVEREND DR OLAV FYKSE TVEIT
Secretary General, Church of Norway Council on Ecumenical and International Relations
SHEIKH MUSA MUHAMMAD
Chief Imam, Abuja National Mosque
DR HANNY AL-BANNA
President of Islamic Relief
RABBI DAVID SAPERSTEIN
Director and Counsel
Religious Action Center
SWAMI AGNIVESH
President of the World Council of Arya Samaj, India
FATHER ROBERT F. DRINAN
Professor of Law
Georgetown University, US
JOE VOLK
Executive Secretary, Friends Committee on National Legislation
MARY ELLEN McNISH
General Secretary
American Friends Service Committee
DR MUHAMMAD ABDUL BARI
Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain
REVEREND DR WILLIAM OKOYE
Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria
BISHOP WILLIAM KENNEY
Roman Catholic
Auxiliary Bishop of Stockholm
(www.tibet.net is the official website of the Central Tibetan Administration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.)
