Small Arms and
Light Weapons at the United Nations
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Reutersward's revolver
UN Photo #182966C |
The issue of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALWs) was first raised
in the United Nations General Assembly through a resolution
passed in 1995 (A/RES/50/70B). Further consideration
and work on the issue culminated in the United
Nations Conference on the Illicit Traffic in Small Arms and Light
Weapons in All Its Aspects, held at UN Headquarters
in New York, July 9-12, 2001. At the Conference, Member States
succeeded in adopting a document entitled the Programme
of Action to Prevent, Combat, and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in
Small Arms and Light Weapons, in All Its Aspects.
The Programme of Action (PoA) outlined measures to be taken
at the national, regional and global level to address the problem
of trafficking in illicit SALWs. By signing on to the PoA, states
committed themselves to implementing a series of measures that
include:
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Passing national legislation to criminalize the production
and possession of illicit SALWs
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Maintaining accurate records of legally-held small arms
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Destroying surplus stocks or illicit weapons that have
been collected
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Establishing national small arms coordination agencies
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Ensuring proper marking of weapons produced
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Cooperating with other states to identify and trace the
flow of SALWs across borders
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Supporting and enforce regional efforts including moratoria
and embargoes Including civil society in efforts to prevent
proliferation of SALWs
The PoA also initiated further consideration of other essential
measures to stem the flow of illicit small arms. In the area
of marking and tracing, the feasibility of an international instrument
to identify and trace SALWs was considered by a Group of Governmental
Experts. Following their recommendations, the General Assembly
established an Open Ended Working Group to
Negotiate an International Instrument to Enable States to Identify
and Trace Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons (OEWG). In addition,
the PoA called for consideration of international measures to
address the problem of illicit arms brokering. Member States agreed to launch broad-based
consultations on brokering, which took place during 2004 and 2005.
The PoA also set out a process for Member States to report on implementation and follow-up on conference commitments. This took place through The First Biennial Meeting of States, held in New York, July 7-11, 2003 and The Second Biennial Meeting of States, held in New York, July 11-15, 2005. The members of the United Nations will review progress in implementing the PoA and decide on the future of global steps on small arms at a critically important Review Conference to be held in June 26- July 7, 2006. Member States laid groundwork for the Review Conference at the Preparatory Committee that occurred in New York from January 9-20, 2006. The Quaker United Nations Office is actively engaged in this review process.
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