UNITED NATIONS WORKSHOP ON FIREARM PROBLEMS IN EUROPE TO BE HELD AT LJUBLJANA, 22-26 SEPTEMBER

Press Release
SOC/CP/200

UNITED NATIONS WORKSHOP ON FIREARM PROBLEMS IN EUROPE TO BE HELD AT LJUBLJANA, 22-26 SEPTEMBER

VIENNA, 18 September (UN Information Service) -- With the passing of the cold-war era and a shift from inter-State military conflicts to other forms of insecurity, one type of weapon is killing more people than major weapons -- namely, small, illegally owned firearms. Such arms form a major source of illicit profits for transnational criminal networks and are increasingly associated with crime, accidents and suicides.

Small arms are spreading throughout society, having frequently been bought through private channels, smuggled across borders or stolen from police and defence forces. In response to worldwide concern, the United Nations has scheduled a series of regional workshops, starting with a European meeting to be held in Ljubljana from 22 to 26 September.

The European workshop will focus on a number of issues raised in the United Nations first-ever international survey of firearms ownership and regulation, which was released in Vienna in May during the annual session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. The study presents information never before available on firearms-related problems, including accidents, suicides and homicides.

Regional workshops on firearm issues will be also held in Africa, the Americas and Asia during the coming months.

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