A new report published today finds that two years after a UN agreement on stopping gun proliferation, few governments have made much progress. The report comes as member states meet in New York to review progress toward implementing the UN Programme of Action to combat illicit trafficking in small arms.

The IANSA Report: Implementing the UN Programme of Action 2003 evaluates progress in 156 countries and has been compiled by over 100 local researchers and experts from the Biting the Bullet project. Small arms, including handguns, rifles and long guns, cause 500,000 deaths a year – taking one life every minute. The humanitarian impact and political, social and economic costs of the spread of these weapons can be seen from Iraq to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The report finds that despite their obligations under the UN Programme of Action on small arms:

• A third of all states have yet to establish a national contact points on small arms.
• Only 37 states have established national committees to co-ordinate action on small arms.
• Only 65 states have submitted national progress reports to the UN.
• Only 19 states have launched a review of national small arms legislation.
• Progress has been particularly slow in countries in North Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia.

Yet the report also finds that significant progress has been made in some countries and that the involvement of civil society has been essential to this progress. The most successful initiatives in the last two years have been partnerships between governments and NGOs, and progress has often been slowest in countries where civil society is excluded.

The report identifies a number of priorities for governments to combat gun trafficking, including:

• Establish national contact points and coordinating bodies for small arms control and develop national action plans for arms management and disarmament.
• Review and strengthen legislation controlling manufacture, possession, trade, transfers and brokering of small arms.
• Expand weapons collection and disarmament programmes and strengthen security of state stockpiles.
• Increase the financial and technical assistance available for small arms initiatives and integrate small arms control into development programmes.
• Launch negotiations to establish an international instrument to mark and trace small arms and a treaty regulating arms transfers.

Rebecca Peters, Director of IANSA said: ‘While governments meet in New York this week, over 7,000 people, mostly civilians, will be killed by small arms. Nearly all those deaths are preventable and will serve no national security purpose. It’s time for government and civil society to work together to stop the killing.’

Paul Eavis, Director of Saferworld said: ‘In many parts of the world little has happened since the UN Action Programme was agreed, although significant progress has been made in some countries. This conference is a vital opportunity for states to reaffirm their commitment to tackling small arms trafficking.’

Kevin Clements, Secretary General of International Alert, said: ‘Governments must work more closely with civil society groups to convert their promises into actions. Despite a number of successful partnerships between states and civil society, many governments still believe that small arms are an issue that should be cloaked in secret. The report suggests, however, that transparent policies concerning legal weapons generate much more stability than policies that are opaque.’

The IANSA Report: Implementing the UN Programme of Action 2003 is produced by the Biting the Bullet project run by International Alert, Saferworld and the University of Bradford. It is published by International Action Network on Small Arms – the global network of over 500 organisations working to combat gun violence.

To view the report, visit www.iansa.org/documents/poa03report.