In this news alert: 

I) DDA launch of Gender Mainstreaming Action Plan 

II) Disarmament Commission closes 2003 session 

III) NPT update 

I) The UN Department of Disarmament Affairs (DDA) launched its Gender Mainstreaming Action Plan on Tuesday, April 15. Featured on the panel were Jayantha Dhanapala, the Under-Secretary General for Disarmament Affairs, Angela King, the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, Ambassador Harriet Babbitt, Director of Women Waging Peace, Ambassador Gilbert Laurin, Deputy Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations, and Joyce Davis, author of "Martyrdom: Innocence, Vengeance and Despair in the Middle East." The panel was moderated by Agnès Marcaillou, chief of the Regional Disarmament Branch at the DDA. 

Italian Ambassador Mario Maiolini, current chairman of the Disarmament Commission (DC) also spoke on the panel, taking the time out of his busy schedule during these final days of the DC 2003 session to demonstrate his support for the project. He stated that the implementation of this gender mainstreaming plan would enhance the work of the DC, as women would bring "fresh input", and "probably could help us step forward" with the issues on the agenda. 

Mr. Dhanapala, whose steadfast support was critical in the success of this launch, discussed with pride the precedent that this action plan would set for other departments within the UN. Through mainstreaming gender in all of its activities, the DDA will provide standards and demonstrate critical “lessons learned” for the benefit of all departments and agencies who must follow this example. He asserted that all disarmament initiatives will be strengthened through a more equitable participation by women in all levels of decision making. "When women move forward," he said, "and disarmament
moves forward, the world moves forward." 

Ambassador Laurin echoed Mr. Dhanapala's remarks, stating that he "expects, not hopes" that Member States will also follow the lead of the DDA in mainstreaming gender in all of their activities. A true "culture of peace," he said, is not possible with the continued exclusion and marginalization of women. 

The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom has been supporting the DDA in its gender and disarmament work for years, and we are beyond pleased that the day of the action plan's unveiling has finally arrived. This plan embraces and utilizes the principle that women have a special and invaluable contribution to make in all issues of peace and security, and it is our deepest hope that the plan will provide for a greater inclusion of women at all levels of decision-making in this area. 

Excerpts of the public version of the action plan are available at: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/genderdisarm/actionpln.pdf . 

II) The 2003 session of the Disarmament Commission came to a close Thursday, April 17, without reaching a consensus regarding working group I, "Ways and Means to Achieve Nuclear Disarmament" or in working group II, "Practical Confidence-Building Measures in Small Arms and Light Weapons." 

The deliberations lasted a day longer than originally scheduled, in order to facilitate last-ditch efforts to agree on a recommendation. Despite these eleventh-hour attempts, the sole universal deliberative disarmament body closed unsuccessfully. 

The Rapportuer believed that the lack of consensus reflected the "complexity of the issues, and not a lack of the efforts of the participants." 

The representative from the U.S., Sherwood McGinnis, believed that the DC "needs to do a better job of focusing its work." The task of working group I was "too broad," and his country expected the group to pick out a few specific ways that "might be ripe, instead we adopted a catch all approach that introduced too m any controversial elements." 

The representative from the Cote d'Ivoire spoke of the Nuclear Weapons States (NWS) noncompliance with the 13 Steps to Disarmament, as promised at the 2000 Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty. He stated that "the political will is the most important element," without which "nuclear disarmament will just be a pious wish." 

The representative from Cuba echoed this statement, referring to "The clear lack of political will shown by some states in moving forward to this objective" of nuclear disarmament. He added that Cuba is "particularly concerned by the opposition of some states even to accept elementary principles such as the fact that achieving nuclear disarmament would contribute to enhancing international peace and security." In this critical moment for the international disarmament regime, a strong decisive outcome from the DC could have bolstered future global disarmament discussions, including the upcoming Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Preparatory Committee conference. 

III) This is the last News Alert to be released before the Reaching Critical Will team heads off to Geneva for the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty Preparatory Committee conference. Between organizing NGO presentations to be delivered to the delegates April 30, meeting with various disarmament representatives and ambassadors, updating the Calendar of Events (available at:
www.reachingcriticalwill.org/npt/NGO%20cal%202003.html) almost hourly, preparing for the daily NGO News in Review publication, updating the Shadow Report, and other logistical arrangements, we are nearly ready to make the big splash at the PrepCom. 

Despite the seemingly bleak horizon facing the international nonproliferation regime, most NGOs remain optimistic that the PrepCom will be fruitful. We hope that the meeting will serve as a forum through which we and the Non-nuclear Weapons States (NNWS) can effective demand full compliance by the Nuclear Weapons States (NWS) with the 13 Steps to Disarmament they promised at the 2000 Review Conference. We also hope to push forward other items long neglected on the NPT agenda, such as the codification of Negative Security Assurances (NSAs). 

For those of you who will be attending the PrepCom, please be sure to check the calendar frequently. Here is an excerpt of the first few days' activities:

April 27 4 PM: Mouvement de la Paix and Abolition 2000 proposes a demo/sit-in in front of the Palais; contact Dominique at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
April 27 1-4PM: NGO Committee on Disarmament orientation meeting at the Centre Universitaire Protestant; contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
April 27 4 PM: NGO Meeting to finalize presentations at the Centre Universitaire Protestant; contact Colin Archer This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
April 28: PREPCOM OPENS
April 28 1-3PM: Lunch Panel on Gender and Disarmament; Conference Room XXIV; contact: Rhianna Tyson, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
April 28- May 9 9-10 AM: NGO Strategy Sessions, Conference Room XXIV; contact either Rhianna Tyson This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Alice Slater at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or David Atwood at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
April 28 2-3 PM: NGO Press Conference; Heeding the Secretary-General's Call for a Conference on Nuclear Dangers; Press Room 2; contact: Aaron Tovish This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Susi Snyder, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
April 29, 1-3 PM: Keynote address by Jayantha Dhanapala, UN Under-Secretary General for Disarmament, "The NPT: Past, Present and Future,"with introductory remarks by Jonathan Granoff and Sen. Douglas Roche; Conference Room XXIV; contact: Urs Cipolat, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
April 29, 5-7 PM: Compliance Within a Nuclear Abolition Regime Panel Discussion; Conference Room XXIV; contact: Steve Leeper, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
April 29 7:30-10 PM: The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom's 88th birthday reception; WILPF Office, 4th floor, 1 Rue de Varembe; contact Susi Snyder, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Katerina Lecche at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

There are MANY more events already scheduled, so be sure to check the calendar!!