(New York, 5 July) -- The attack in Quetta yesterday, in which small arms were used to kill up to 44 people and injure 65 others, comes as Pakistan and other UN member nations meet to discuss their progress in curbing the proliferation of small arms. However, a new report finds that Pakistan has not met its obligations.

The Pakistan government, like other UN member states, agreed in 2001 to implement the UN Programme of Action to stop the spread of small arms and light weapons. However, it has failed to meet its commitments, according to the IANSA Report: Implementing the UN Prorgamme of Action on Small Arms, which will be released on Monday, 7 July in New York. The report comes during the UN Biennial Meeting of States on small arms, and covers implementation by Pakistan, as well as India, Nepal, Indonesia, China, Bangladesh, the U.S. and others.

The report 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, kill 500,000 deaths a year – taking one life every minute. According to one estimate, there are 75 million firearms in South Asia; the humanitarian impact and political, social and economic costs of the spread of these weapons can be seen throughout the region, notably in Kashmir and Northeast India.

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 point 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. The report is available online at http://www.iansa.org/documents/03POAreport/