IPPNW Zambian Leader co-hosts a workshop in Lusaka, Zambia

Dr. Robert Mtonga, a leader of IPPNW-affiliate Zambian Healthworkers for Social Responsibility (ZHSR), has been active in his country and worldwide on Aiming for Prevention issues including educating that “guns are bad for health,” advocating for policy changes to prevent armed violence, and conducting violent injury research.

Here’s a link to a very recent article in Medicine, Conflict and Survival featuring Dr. Mtonga’s work.

He recently co-hosted a workshop in Lusaka, Zambia, “Towards a Common Understanding of the Arms Trade Treaty in Zambia” with Joseph Dube, African representative of the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA). Dr. Mtonga is also the medical field director of the IANSA Public Health Network, which is coordinated by IPPNW.

Speakers included the Deputy British High Commissioner, Paula Walsh, and the Director of the Zambia Anti-Personnel Mine Action Centre, Sheila Mweemba. The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fashion Phiri, was in attendance. The Arms Trade Treaty that is advocated will establish common standards and institutions to control small arms, making sure that they are produced, bought, sold and used legally.

Ms. Mweeba spoke specifically about lessons learned from the cluster bomb campaign, which recently resulted in a landmark Convention on Cluster Munitions (IPPNW Zambia and IPPNW Russia both serve on the steering committee of the coalition that helped enact this historic treaty. Other IPPNW affiliates have also participated in this campaign.