On 14-15 May 2019, Control Arms organized a regional training for Central and Eastern Europe on the Gender-based Violence (GBV) Criteria in the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). The event brought together almost 30 representatives from 12 governments to learn in greater detail about the links between gender-based violence and arms transfer decisions and the application of the ATT risk-assessment criteria that take these into account these risks. Drawing participants from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia, the practical training aimed to build the capacity of government officials involved in the arms transfer decision-making process and to provide a forum for those working closely with arms trade issues nationally to discuss with their regional counterparts challenges and solutions to advancing the implementation of and strengthen compliance with the GBV criteria. Expert speakers from Control Arms, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Women’s International League for Peace, and Freedom (WILPF) and Amnesty International facilitated sessions which explored:

- Definitions and interpretations of GBV; 

- Review of how GBV must be considered under the Treaty: arts 6(3), 7(1), 7(4)); 

- Linkages between the ATT to other international and regional policy frameworks including International Human Rights Law, International Humanitarian Law and the Women Peace and Security Agenda, the UN Program on Small Arms and Light Weapons and EU Common Position on Arms Exports; 

- Guidelines, structure and sources of information to review the prevalence of and responses to arms-related GBV in recipient states considered; 

- Mitigating measures or other approaches to reduce the risks in article 7(1).

Through hypothetical exercises and group discussions, participants applied lessons learned throughout the training and shared national perspectives and good practices.