UN Small Arms Process

IANSA is the designated coordinator of civil society for the UN small arms process; in addition, we lead the advocacy on armed violence prevention – and provide support and assistance to other groups – in many different UN fora such as the Group of Interested States (GIS). IANSA is a member of the reference group for the International Standards on Small Arms Control (ISACS) and a member of the expert group that advises the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on implementation of the UN Firearms Protocol.

IANSA members cooperate closely with UN agencies, especially the UN Development Program (UNDP) and the UN Regional Disarmament Centres.

Some of IANSA's goals for the UN small arm process include:

- Strong implementation of the Programme of Action (PoA) including reviewing / revising national legislation and strengthening National Commissions on Small Arms

- Mainstreaming gun violence prevention within global development, human rights, health and gender processes

- Effective implementation of the International Tracing Instrument and the recommendations of the Groups of Governmental Experts on arms brokering

Latest

BMS4 final document

The Final Outcome Document of the Fourth Biennial Meeting of States (BMS) to Consider the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (PoA) is now available.

IANSA members meet BMS Chair & Central African governments

IANSA members from Latin American and the Caribbean met Ambassador Pablo Macedo, chair of the 2010 Biennial Meeting of States (BMS), in Mexico City on 26-27 April.

DR Congo: regional pre-BMS meeting takes place

In Kinshasa (DR Congo) another regional pre-BMS meeting was attended by IANSA members and government officials from 10 Central African countries.

Argentina: Update on national disarmament network

The Argentinean Disarmament Network held its general assembly on 22 March in Buenos Aires.

UN: Eradicating arms trafficking in Central Africa

The UN Security Council adopted a Presidential Statement on Central Africa on 19 March, containing the first significant reference to small arms proliferation agreed by the Council since 2007.

UN: Countdown to 2010 BMS has begun

The countdown has begun to the 2010 UN Biennial Meeting of States on small arms (BMS), to be held in New York 14-18 June 2010.

Small arms report by the UN Secretary General, 2008

This report by the UN Secretary General came as response to a statement from the UN Security Council in 2007, requesting that they receive a report on small arms every two years

Small arms and human rights: Resolution of UN sub-commission

This resolution endorses 15 principles for preventing human rights abuses with guns, including abuses committed by state actors (eg law enforcement) and private citizens.

UN Programme of Action (PoA)

The 2001 Programme of Action on small arms was adopted by the UN General Assembly after negotiations at the 2001 UN Conference on Small Arms.