MEMBERS OF INTERNATIONAL ACTION NETWORK ON SMALL ARMS BRIEF UN SMALL ARMS COORDINATING BODY
Press Release
DC/2646
MEMBERS OF INTERNATIONAL ACTION NETWORK ON SMALL ARMS BRIEF UN SMALL ARMS COORDINATING BODY
19990528 NEW YORK, 25 May (Department for Disarmament Affairs) -- Representatives of the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA), a recently launched initiative of over 200 organizations working to prevent the proliferation and misuse of small arms, briefed the members of the Coordinating Action on Small Arms (CASA) mechanism during its fourth meeting of focal points, at Headquarters on 25 May.The meeting was chaired by the Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, Jayantha Dhanapala, who, at the outset, welcomed the representative of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) as a new member of CASA. The CASA was established as a result of the Secretary-General's decision in June 1998 to designate the Department for Disarmament Affairs as the focal point to coordinate all action on small arms within the United Nations system.
Paul Eavis of Saferworld, Eugenia Piza-Lopez of International Alert, Michael Klare of Hampshire College, and Loretta Bondi of Human Rights Watch made brief statements as representatives of the Facilitation Committee of IANSA. The speakers underlined the importance of focusing the attention of States on the problems posed not only by the illicit, but the legal trade in small arms.
Mr. Eavis touched on two broad categories of policy measures as outlined in the IANSA Founding Document: controlling the availability and access to small arms (supply-side measures); and reducing the demand for small arms. On the supply side, he highlighted the control of legal transfers between States, such as through the promotion of national, regional and global codes of conduct; preventing and combating illicit transfers, such as through the implementation of strict controls over the activities of arms brokering agents; collecting and removing surplus arms from both civil society and regions of conflict; and other measures. On reducing the demand for small arms, he cited the enhancement of demobilization and reintegration programmes, halting the use of child combatants and other initiatives. He also indicated that IANSA would focus on two key issues: strengthening the operational capacity of police and customs cooperation and improving border controls with a view to curbing illicit transfers of small arms; and enhancing the capacity of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) at the community level through such activities as community weapons collection exercises.
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Mr. Klare noted that IANSA would act as a clearing-house for information on small arms and, in particular, for the production and dissemination of educational materials on small arms to support NGOs in the field. According to Ms. Bondi, IANSA would also look at ways to oblige States to enforce arms embargo regimes. Ms. Piza-Lopez remarked that the strength of IANSA's network was its constituency -- some 200 organizations in fields ranging from arms control to humanitarian, human rights, peace and conflict prevention -- as well as the network's intention to build constituencies, develop capacities and promote transparency and accountability in the area of small arms.
Members of CASA welcomed the briefings by the representatives of IANSA and generally shared the view that IANSA could make an important contribution in promoting advocacy and supporting the United Nations' lead role in encouraging and supporting all efforts to address the wide-ranging problems posed by small arms. The need for more baseline information on small arms, particularly data which NGOs could gather in the field, was highlighted together with the importance of avoiding duplication in developing tools of advocacy for civil society.
Representatives of the Department for Disarmament Affairs, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the Department of Public Information, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, UNIFEM and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) participated in the meeting.
Further information on IANSA is available on the Web at www.iansa.org. Further information on the work of the United Nations in the area of small arms is available on the Web at www.un.org/Depts/dda/CAB/index.htm.
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