UN Small Arms Process

The United Nations is involved in many different ways in the effort to reduce the proliferation of small arms and their deadly effects. Its Programme of Action (PoA) was adopted by all UN Member States in 2001, and since that time the UN has worked to support the implementation of the PoA at national, regional and international levels. By-products of the PoA include the International Tracing Instrument and the recommendations of a Group of Governmental Experts on arms brokering.

The first binding international legal instrument on small arms, the UN Firearms Protocol, came into effect in July 2005. The Protocol supplements the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime.

22 UN agencies are members of the Coordinating Action in Small Arms (CASA).

Latest news

UN: Diplomats agree to conclude Arms Trade Treaty at final negotiations set for March in 2013

On 7th November, members States of United Nations at the 67th session of UN General Assembly First committee, voted the Resolution L11 on the Arms Trade Treaty in New York at UN Headquarter. 157 voted in favour, 18 abstentions and Zero vote against. The Resolution mandates Conference on ATT to be held in March 2013. The ATT Resolution was initiated by a group of co-authors including Argentina, Australia, Costa Rica, Finland, Japan, Kenya and United Kingdom.

67th Session of the UN General Assembly’s First Committee Begins 8th October

The 67th Session of the GA’s First Committee will begin on Monday 8th October at the UN Secretariat in New York.

UN Small Arms Conference Reaches Agreement on Final Afternoon

IANSA is pleased that the Second Review Conference of the UN Programme of Action (UNPoA) managed to reaffirm States’ commitments to address the illicit trade of small arms and light weapons (SALW).

Second UNPoA Review Conference - IANSA's Civil Society Summaries

 

IANSA has a presence at UN Headquarters these two weeks to ensure that civil society is strong and visible at the 2012 Review Conference on the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (UNPoA), taking place from the 27th August to 7th September.
 
The summaries below provide some highlights of the work of the Review Conference.
 
IANSA Members Address UN States at the PoA Review Conference

IANSA's presence at the Second Review Conference of the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PoA) was launched as three members, Jasmine Nario-Galace (Director, Center for Peace Education, Philippines), Hector Guerra (Network Coordinator, IANSA, Mexico), and Marie-Thérèse Ngandji (Executive Director, Caritas, Gabon) delivered speeches addressing IANSA's review of PoA Implementation so far, and hopes for further progress in the future.

Transcripts of the three speeches are available below.

Latest resources

NGO Presentations at the PoA PrepCom, 21 March 2012

Representatives of civil society spoke in the afternoon plenary session of the preparatory committee (PrepCom) for the 2012 Review Conference (RevCon) on 21 March 2012.

The importance of international cooperation and assistance to improve stockpile management in Africa

This article was written by Félix Kokou Aklavon, member of the International Advisory Council (IAC) and the Togolese Action Network on Small Arms (RASALT) for the Small Arms Monitor during the preparatory committee for the 2012 Review Conference on the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms (PoA).

What should the UN Programme of Action PrepCom 2012 Achieve?

The purpose of the PrepCom is to lay the groundwork for the RevCon, 27 August – 7 September 2012. The PrepCom is expected to produce a draft agenda for the RevCon i.e. which solutions to the problem of gun violence are open for discussion.

Parliamentary Forum statement on civilian possession of automatic and semi-automatic rifles

The Parliamentary Forum on Small Arms and Light Weapons has issued a policy statement on civilian possession of automatic and semi-automatic rifles, adopted during their board meeting in New York on 23 October this year. It states that, “ Such kinds of weapons – which do not only relate to illegal trafficking, conflict zones or high levels of gun violence but have also been used to perpetrate massacres in countries including New Zealand, United Kingdom, Australia, United States and recently in Norway - should be banned from civilian possession”.

Civil Society presentations at UN First Committee 2011

Civil society organisations addressed the UN General Assembly First Committee on 25 October.

New research note on UN PoA reporting

A new research note from the Small Arms Survey provides a brief review of national reports on the PoA.

IANSA paper on differences between UN arms control instruments

This brand new briefing paper gives an overview of the differences between the UN Programme of Action on small arms (PoA) and the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT).

MGE 2011 - NGO presentations - 13 May

NGO presentations took place during the morning plenary session of Friday 13 May

MGE 2011 - Summary Report: Plenary Session: Afternoon - 13 May 2011

A summary report of the main points of the afternoon session on Friday 13 May at the Open-Ended Meeting of Governmental Experts, 9-13 May 2011.

MGE 2011 - Summary Report: Plenary Session: Morning - 13 May 2011

A summary report of the main points of the morning session on Friday 13 May at the Open-Ended Meeting of Governmental Experts, 9-13 May 2011.

MGE 2011 - Side event - 'Measurability and Implementation' - 13 May

A summary report of the side event 'Measurability and Implementation - Country-by-country comparisons of marking, tracing, record-keeping and other norms', coorganized by GunPolicy.org and the Permanent Missions of Australia and New Zealand to the United Nations on 13 May 2011.

MGE 2011 - Side event - Beyond Boundaries in Eastern Africa - 13 May

A summary report of the side event 'Beyond Boundaries in Eastern Africa', coorganized by The Permanent Missions of Finland & Kenya to the United Nations on 13 May 2011.

MGE 2011 - Side event - Establishment and maintenance of effective national record-keeping systems for small arms and light weapons

A summary report of the side event 'Establishment and maintenance of effective national record-keeping systems for small arms and light weapons' held on 12 May 2011.

MGE 2011 - Summary Report: Plenary Session: Afternoon - 12 May 2011

A summary report of the main points of the afternoon session on Thursday 12 May at the Open-Ended Meeting of Governmental Experts, 9-13 May 2011.

MGE 2011 - Summary Report: Plenary Session: Morning - 12 May 2011

A summary report of the main points of the morning session on Thursday 12 May at the Open-Ended Meeting of Governmental Experts, 9-13 May 2011.

MGE 2011 - Summary Report: Plenary Session: Afternoon - 11 May 2011

A summary report of the main points of the afternoon session on Wednesday 11 May at the Open-Ended Meeting of Governmental Experts, 9-13 May 2011.

MGE 2011 - Side event - Implementing firearm marking and record-keeping in Southern Africa

A summary report of the side event 'Implementing firearm marking and record-keeping in Southern Africa: a partnership between police, civil society and the private sector”' held on 11 May 2011.

MGE 2011 - Summary Report: Plenary Session: Morning - 11 May 2011

A summary report of the main points of the morning session on Wednesday 11 May at the Open-Ended Meeting of Governmental Experts, 9-13 May 2011.

MGE 2011 - Side event - Tracing conflict ammunition: viability and challenges

A summary report of the side event 'Tracing conflict ammunition: viability and challenges' held on 11 May 2011.

MGE 2011 - Side event - The Programme of Action and Opportunities

A summary report of the side event 'The Programme of Action and Opportunities' held on 10 May 2011.

MGE 2011 - Summary Report: Plenary Session: Afternoon - 10 May 2011

A summary report of the main points of the afternoon session on Tuesday 10 May at the Open-Ended Meeting of Governmental Experts, 9-13 May 2011.

MGE 2011: How and why to include women in international efforts to trace and uncover the illicit trade in SALW

An article by the IANSA Women’s Network was published in the MGE Monitor on Tuesday 10 May 2011 and calls upon states to integrate a gender perspective in their tracing efforts, and actively include women at all stages of the process including capacity building and cooperation initiatives.To read it go to: http://www.iansa-women.org/node/630

MGE 2011 - Side event - Why Traces Fail – Challenges involved in issuing and responding to tracing requests

A summary report of the side event 'Why Traces Fail – Challenges involved in issuing and responding to tracing requests' held on 10 May 2011.

MGE 2011 - Summary Report: Plenary Session: Morning - 10 May 2011

A summary report of the main points of the morning session on Tuesday 10 May at the Open-Ended Meeting of Governmental Experts, 9-13 May 2011.

MGE 2011 - Side event - Applying the Mark: A meeting on the practicalities of marking firearms and ammunition

A summary report of the side event 'Applying the Mark: A meeting on the practicalities of marking firearms and ammunition' held on 9 May 2011.

MGE 2011 - Side event - Draft International Standards on Marking, Record-keeping and Tracing of SALW

A summary report of the side event 'Draft International Standards on Marking, Record-keeping and Tracing of SALW' held on 9 May 2011.

MGE 2011 - Summary Report: Plenary Session: Afternoon - 9 May 2011

A summary report of the main points of the afternoon session on Monday 9 May at the Open-Ended Meeting of Governmental Experts, 9-13 May 2011.

MGE 2011 - Summary Report: Plenary Session: Morning - 9 May 2011

A summary report of the main points of the opening session on Monday 9 May at the Open-Ended Meeting of Governmental Experts, 9-13 May 2011.

IANSA Africa Update: May 2011

This is the second of our quarterly Updates on IANSA in Africa to keep you informed of progress on the continent. This issue focuses on the ‘Central Africa Convention for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, their Ammunition and all Parts and Components that can be used for their Manufacture, Repair and Assembly’, known as the 'Kinshasa Convention'.   

Small arms report by the UN Secretary General, 2011

This report by the UN Secretary-General was submitted to the UN Security Council to bring them up to date on issues that were presented to them in the 2008 SG report on Small Arms