The Problem

Gendered dimensions of small arms violence are:

The Solution

GENSAC, a cross regional network of individuals in the security, disarmament, development, peacebuilding and conflict prevention sector from W. Balkans, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Africa working to advance gender-sensitive approaches to arms control and violence prevention and reduction.

Goals

Boost

Addressing poor representation and participation of women in small arms control spaces.

Networking, Leadership, Training

Spotlight

Bringing gender to the forefront of international, national, and regional small arms control measures.

Actionable Research, Policy Influencing and Advocacy

Bridge

Serving as a missing link between various agendas, regions, and communities.

Convenings, Secretariat, Digital, Platform

Vibrant and engaged GENSAC community advancing gender responsive small arms control ideas and policies.

Progress measured in line with the seven strategies for reducing small arms violence in the SDG Decade of Action

Our History

2020

October

Launch of the action paper on Disarmament, Development, Gender, and Violence Prevention and working breakfast on the sidelines of the UN Disarmament week during which the idea for a cross-regional network was first raised.

March

Activists, policymakers, and experts gathered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to discuss ways to harness women’s leadership to control small arms, promote peace, and address violence on the African continent.

Watch the event recording on Youtube.

2020

February

GENSAC is launched at the first-annual conference in Berlin, Germany hosted by the German Foreign Office, with representatives from W. Balkans, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean in attendance.

Watch the event recording on Youtube.

2019

July

Outcomes from the Addis Ababa meeting presented to policymakers in New York on the sidelines of the High-Level Political Forum for Sustainable Development (HLPF).

2017

Pathfinders Launch

Launching Pathfinders

Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies is launched as a member state-led multi-stakeholder network to accelerate action on Sustainable Development Goal targets related to peace, justice, and inclusion. (SDG16+)

2015

2030 Agenda

2030 Agenda is adopted and sets out 17 ambitious sustainable development goals. Among them SDG5 to advance gender equality, and SDG16 to promote peaceful, just, and inclusive societies.

Who We Are

Network Coordinator

Natalie Briggs

Natalie has worked in arms control and disarmament for the past 5 years, most recently covering disarmament and non-proliferation issues during Norway’s Security Council term. She has also worked with organizations such as the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just & Inclusive Societies and the International Action Network on Small Arms on projects focused on disarmament and small arms control. Learn more about Natalie here.

GENSAC is hosted and managed by the Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies—a multi-stakeholder platform set up to realize peace, justice, and inclusion and accelerate the delivery of SDG16+, which is an initiative co-founded and hosted by the Center on International Cooperation (CIC) at New York University.

Pathfinders have launched and are committed to supporting a Grand Challenge to Halve Global Violence, and initiatives such as GENSAC and Peace in Our Cities serve as pilot projects to prioritize and scale-up concrete and practical solutions to reduce multiple categories of violence.

The success of the Agenda 2030 depends on dramatic action and achievements when it comes to violence reduction.