PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR 2001 CONFERENCE ON ILLICIT TRADE IN SMALL ARMS BEGINS GENERAL DEBATE

Press Release
DC/2681

PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR 2001 CONFERENCE ON ILLICIT TRADE IN SMALL ARMS BEGINS GENERAL DEBATE

The 2001 United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in all its Aspects should focus on supply and demand, State responsibility and agreed norms for security and the safe management of official stockpiles, the Preparatory Committee for the Conference was told this afternoon as it began its general debate.

The representative of Canada also said that the Preparatory Committee should not limit itself to discussing illicit transfers, but should recognize the interrelationship between illicit trafficking and smuggling, and the legal trade in small arms and light weapons.

The challenge lay in formulating practical solutions to address the proliferation problem in a comprehensive and achievable manner, the representative of South Africa said. The Conference would not solve the problem of the proliferation of small arms, but should, as a minimum, provide an agreed framework for future action. It should recognize that small arms and light weapons must be dealt with from an inclusive perspective of arms control and disarmament, post- conflict peace-building, conflict prevention and socio-economic development.

While recognizing the diversity of situations that accompanied the problem of illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, the representative of Brazil said the temptation to deal simultaneously with other matters -- such as economic and social development, human rights and standards of governments -- must be resisted. Discussion of those elements would lead to over-politicizing the debate, which could put at risk any success at combating the trade. Issues related to manufacture, acquisition, selling, transfer, export, import, possession, use, licensing, commercial and transportation agents, destruction, among others, must be examined.

The representative of Australia pointed out that negotiations currently under way in Vienna for a protocol on the illegal manufacture and traffic in firearms could lay the groundwork for more effective international action on small arms. Participants at the Conference should build on that framework, but it was important that efforts not be duplicated. An international plan of action should be developed establishing regional or international norms, with provisions on export controls, brokering, marking, transparency and information exchange, as well as on

Small Arms Preparatory Committee - 1a - Press Release DC/2681 PM Meeting 28 February 2000

disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of ex-combatants. The aim would be to more effectively regulate the illicit small arms trade by ensuring that small arms did not fall into the hands of those willing to use them nefariously.

Several speakers called for the acknowledgement of national, regional and international efforts to combat the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, and a number called for full participation by non-governmental organizations in the preparatory and the Conference process. Other participants also stressed that the Conference should be held in New York to allow for broad participation and continuity. Switzerland had offered to host the proposed June/July 2001 conference.

Other speakers this afternoon were: Portugal (on behalf of the European Union and associated States), Mali (on behalf of the Economic Community of West African States), Japan, Algeria, Mozambique, Lesotho, Costa Rica, Uganda, Argentina and New Zealand.

The Preparatory Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, Tuesday, 29 February to continue its general debate.

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Committee Work Programme

The Preparatory Committee for United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in all its Aspects met this afternoon to begin its general debate. The Committee, which began its first session this morning, has been mandated by the General Assembly to decide on the date and venue for the Conference to be held in 2001. It has also been asked to prepare, among others, the draft rules of procedure and draft final documents, including a programme of action, of the Conference.

Statements

JEAN PHILIP DU PREEZ (South Africa) said the General Assembly’s decision to convene the Conference was timely and appropriate. The South African Government had declared the combating of small arms proliferation as a priority for its police service. The objective was to reduce the number of illegal small arms in circulation, as well as the flow of illegal weapons into the country. The strategy also focused on the lawful and proper use of licensed firearms and the destruction of surplus small arms.

The challenge during both the preparatory process and the Conference itself was the formulation of practical solutions to address the proliferation problem in a comprehensive and achievable manner. The Conference would not solve the problem of proliferation of small arms, but should, as a minimum, provide an agreed framework for future action. It should recognize that small arms and light weapons must be dealt with from an inclusive perspective of arms control and disarmament, post-conflict peace-building, conflict prevention and socio-economic development.

The Preparatory Committee should provide the basis, in the form of substantive recommendations, for the eventual outcome of the 2001 Conference. It was imperative that the Committee reach agreement not only on the scope, objective and agenda of the Conference, but also on the content of the final document and the role of non-governmental organizations. The scope of the Conference should be broad enough to include a focus on illicit small arms and light weapons trade in all their aspects. The scope should also focus on the legal trade in arms. Only through increased transparency and better control of the legal arms trade would the international community be able to constrain the illicit arms trade, he said.

Among other issues, he said, the objective of the Conference should be to increase cooperation in combating small arms and light weapons proliferation and to avoid the duplication of initiatives, to ensure that scarce resources were utilized effectively. The final document of the Conference should include a political declaration setting out a framework for future cooperation and action. It should identify elements that would encourage future cooperation and facilitate regional action, such as information exchange, strengthening laws and regulations, management of stockpiles, and improvement in the system of tracing illicit arms flows.

FILIPE DE ALBUQUERQUE (Portugal) spoke on behalf of the European Union and the associated States of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta, Turkey, Iceland and Liechtenstein. He said the Conference should be a focal point in international efforts to combat the excessive and destabilizing accumulation of small arms and light weapons. The international community must demonstrate its political will and commitment to reversing the global spread of those arms and weapons, and the Conference must respond to the urgent need to find solutions to the problem.

He said that this first session of the Preparatory Committee should focus on procedural and organizational aspects of the Conference. The Committee should also clearly identify the subject matter of the Conference, without indulging in a detailed debate of substantive issues. Other forums would make a valid contribution to the process and would undoubtedly facilitate thorough scrutiny of specific subjects, as well as integrating regional approaches in the Conference deliberations.

He hoped that there would be general agreement that the Conference should be held in Geneva. Civil society, as well as the industrial sector linked to the manufacture of weapons, should be involved in the preparatory process from the beginning. Thus, the Preparatory Committee should quickly agree on the modalities for the active participation by non-governmental organizations. To be able to deal effectively with the illicit trade in small arms, governments and non- governmental organizations should work transparently. Also, the Conference should address traditional issues, as well as those apparently less obvious, but closely related to human security and social development.

MOCTAR OUANE (Mali), speaking on behalf of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), said the question of illicit trade in small arms and light weapons was a challenge for the international community. They had caused the loss of innocent lives and their proliferation had also hampered efforts to restore peace.

The ECOWAS countries had concluded an agreement for a moratorium on the export of such weapons, covering, among others, handguns and grenade launchers. The group, meeting at the level of foreign ministers in his country, had also adopted a programme that called for: acknowledging the need for a culture of peace; enforcement of controls at airports and border posts; the destruction of unauthorized arms; facilitating the dialogue with arm manufactures; and reinforcing cooperation with civil society organizations on the subject. The objective was to curb arm flows to the subregion.

To tackle the fresh challenges posed by the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, he said the international community must commit itself to curbing it. Its reduction was an objective that could be achieved. The ECOWAS supported the holding of the 2001 Conference, whose scope should be broadened to cover the legal trade in small arms, to ensure transparency and the monitoring of their flows. Efforts at national, subregional and regional levels to curb the trade should also be taken into account. Mali had offered to host an African regional preparatory conference, he said.

The 2001 Conference should also draw up a legally binding final document. Non-governmental organizations must participate in the Conference. Mali welcomed the offer of the Swiss Government to host the next session of the Preparatory Committee, he said.

NORIO HATTORI (Japan) said his country had, for decades, renounced the export of weapons abroad. Also, as a nation heavily reliant on international trade and economic activities, Japan had a vital interest in preventing and reducing armed conflicts overseas. For the past four years, the State had assisted in targeting post-conflict rehabilitation and facilitation of peace processes.

His delegation welcomed the participation and views of non-governmental organizations during this and future sessions of the Preparatory Committee and he hoped consensus would be reached in deciding on the Conference dates and venue, while ensuring the widest possible and effective participation by all concerned parties. He felt that the recommendations contained in Section V of the Secretary-General’s report (document A/54/258) would serve as a good basis in formulating the position of the Preparatory Committee. The Conference would need to consider the range of encouraging initiatives that had been undertaken in recent years by Member States, regional and international organizations.

ABDELKADE MESDOUA (Algeria) said that the Conference should focus exclusively on the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons. While it was difficult to draw a clear demarcation between the licit and illicit trade, it would be judicious for the Conference to reaffirm the principles of the Charter, such as the right to State sovereignty and the right of a State to develop its own defence system for national security. The deliberations should not result in moratoria, but in the adoption of a political declaration. That declaration would include elements of a consensual programme of action to combat that trade, which could also be adopted in the General Assembly.

He said that the agenda should include questions on the causes of that illicit trade. Moreover, the Conference should be held in New York, particularly when considering the issues of continuity and the need for the largest possible State participation. Delegations should be given time to consider the proposals of the Preparatory Committee. The suggested dates for the future sessions were too close and would give little time for convening the proposed regional conference and studying its results. Furthermore, the proposed dates –- June/July 2001 -- for the Conference should also be reconsidered. Also, non-governmental organizations had made a positive and important contribution to the United Nations. Their participation in the deliberations would useful.

LUIZ FILIPE DE MACEDO SOARES (Brazil) said the Preparatory Committee had a wealth of material at its disposal resulting from recent efforts undertaken by the United Nations, regional organizations and States. In Brazil, the issue was gaining relevance, as attested by the interest being paid by civil society to the debate on a proposal -- currently before the Congress –- to ban the sale of firearms to individuals.

He stated that the Preparatory Committee should identify areas or aspects to be covered, as well as the form, nature and timing of those measures and norms in reaching for those objectives. Also, mobilizing the political will, promoting State responsibility, as well as other international agreed measures and regional and national norms could be included in the programme of action. While recognizing the diversity of situations that accompanied the problem, the temptation to deal simultaneously with other matters -- such as economic and social development, human rights and standards of governments -- must be resisted. Discussion of those elements would lead to over-politicizing the debate, which could put at risk any success at combating the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.

Issues related to manufacture, acquisition, selling, transfer, export, import, possession, use, licensing, commercial and transportation agents, destruction, among others, must be examined, he said. Turning to procedural issues, he added that non-governmental organizations played a crucial role in engaging government and society. Therefore, they should be allowed to participate in the deliberations.

ROD SMITH (Australia) stated that the Preparatory Committee should not lose sight of its overriding objective -– to help people under threat to enjoy safe and productive lives. His country believed that coordinated, complementary efforts at national, regional and international levels would help generate an effective global response to the small arms issue. So far, the most proactive efforts to address the problem had been at the regional level. His country had also developed a number of initiatives and its priority was to increase the profile of the small arms issue in the Asia Pacific region by encouraging further regional efforts.

The negotiations currently under way in Vienna for a protocol on the illegal manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms would lay the groundwork for more effective international action on small arms, he said. Participants at the Conference should build on that framework, but it was important that efforts not be duplicated. Therefore, the Conference should add value to current international efforts. For example, an international plan of action should be developed establishing regional or international norms, with provisions on export controls, brokering, marking, transparency and information exchange, as well as disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of ex-combatants. The aim would be to more effectively regulate the illicit small arms trade by ensuring that small arms did not fall into the hands of those willing to use them nefariously.

PAULINO MACARINGUE (Mozambique) said the active participation of stakeholders was fundamental to draw up the programme of action for the 2001 Conference. Bilateral and regional inputs were extremely useful and should be given due consideration. Since 1995, his country and others in the subregion, particularly South Africa, had been successfully working together to destroy arms and ammunitions.

At the regional level, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries in 1999 adopted a decision on small arms, with the establishment of a working group to develop a common policy on the proliferation of small arms. That initiative showed clearly their commitment to the curbing of small arms and light weapons in the region. He also referred to other regional initiatives in West Africa and in the Americas.

Through the Conference and its preparatory process, the international community had a unique opportunity to rid the world of the scourge of illicit small arms and light weapons, he said. Towards that end, political will and commitment should be demonstrated by the international community. That would require the concerted efforts and active participation of all stakeholders, including civil society, particularly non-governmental organizations. He expressed gratitude to the international community for the support and solidarity rendered in alleviating the emergency situation created by the floods in his country.

PAUL MEYER (Canada) said a successful outcome of the Conference would be acceptance of a meaningful action plan or programme, with a timetable for implementation, that would actually reduce the global numbers of small arms and light weapons that were in circulation. Other outcomes would be to: prevent problematic transfers; promote transparency; and reduce the role of those arms and weapons in undermining human security.

He stated that the action plan should focus on such areas as: supply and demand; State responsibility; and developing agreed norms for the security and safe management of arms stockpiles being held by State authorities, or State authorized entities. The Preparatory Committee should not limit itself to discussing illicit transfers. It should also recognize the interrelationship between illicit trafficking and smuggling, and the licit trade in small arms and light weapons. Additionally, the Preparatory Committee should consider the work being done at State, regional and international levels.

PHAKISO MOCHOCHOKO (Lesotho) said the need to devise greater control and management of measures to reduce the excessive and destabilizing accumulation and use of small arms and light weapons could not be overstated. His delegation was concerned that the international community had either been unable or unwilling to enforce United Nations arms embargoes in conflict areas. Unless such embargoes were accompanied by effective implementation and enforcement mechanisms, the detrimental consequences to conflict areas would continue. He hoped the Security Council would be as aggressive in addressing the illicit arms trade, as it had been in its attack on the underground economy that had fueled the war in Angola.

The recommendations of the Preparatory Committee should deal with, among others, measures to improve controls on cross-border movements of arms and ammunition; measures to enhance observance of international arms embargoes; and the enhancement of regional cooperation. They should also include mechanisms for: the effective implementation of both national and regional initiatives; encouragement and assistance to States for the disposal of surplus arms and ammunition; and standards to promote supplier restraint and the marking of arms and ammunition for identification purposes.

His Government was encouraged by the recent increase in the number of global and regional initiatives intended to govern small arms and light weapons. Among them were the Southern African Regional Plan; the West African Initiative for a Moratorium on the Production and Import of Small Arms; the Elements of Common Understanding adopted by the group of like-minded States at the Oslo meeting on small arms and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Principles Governing Conventional Arms Transfer.

NURY VARGAS (Costa Rica) said her country had refrained from investing in weaponry. It believed in the promotion of peace and security. Costa Rica called for an investment policy that stressed the reduction of military expenditures and promoted disarmament and demilitarization for the well-being of mankind and the promotion of a culture of peace. The international community could not remain deaf to the cries of innocent victims, she said.

The 2001 Conference should be the arena for drawing up legally binding rules to govern the trade in small arms, she said. It should provide the opportunity to prevent the transfer of military technology, as well as military and security cooperation. The transfer of military expertise should be prevented. Arms surpluses should be collected, confiscated and destroyed. States must ensure that authorized arms transfers were not diverted. In addition, an international campaign to curb the illicit trafficking in small arms must be launched. Police cooperation, border controls and the proper identification of arms exports were needed.

She said Costa Rica advocated an embargo of arms exports to countries that violated human rights or participated in such activity. The embargo should also cover States that had not signed legal instruments on human rights and arms control. Such embargoes should be embodied in a legal instrument. She also called for support for a code of conduct on arms transfers, proposed by a group of former Nobel Prize recipients, including a former president of her country. Costa Rica supported the holding of future sessions of the Preparatory Committee in New York, with the participation of non-governmental organizations.

MATIA MULUMBA SEMAKULA KIWANUKA (Uganda) noted there were an estimated 300,000 child soldiers and 12 million displaced persons in sub-Saharan Africa, and 70 per cent of the arms in global markets had been bought by lesser developed countries at the expense of development. Those alarming statistics posed a challenge to the international community in its efforts to combat the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons. There was a sinister link between guns and diamonds, gold and other minerals. Instead of contributing to the continent’s progress and prosperity, Africa’s natural resources, particularly diamonds, were responsible for its destruction. Consequently, ECOWAS had put a moratorium on small arms, and Liberia, Mozambique and South Africa had destroyed their surplus stocks, in addition to the other measures that had been undertaken in the region.

The illicit trade in and the proliferation of small arms were the primary causes of violence and conflicts in Africa, he continued. That trade had hindered many development efforts by undermining investor interest, and by causing the flight of capital and human resources. Therefore, there must be international restrictions on illicit small arms transfers. The few remaining restrictions were weak and subject to varying interpretations. However, United Nations embargoes depended on the cooperation of Member States. The rich developed countries were the major manufacturers and exporters of small arms and light weapons.

GABRIELA MARTINIC (Argentina) said most of the victims of current conflicts were civilians, particularly women and children. Small arms were usually the instruments used in that type of violence, due to their accessibility and ease of use. Better international controls had to be put in place to counteract the trend. But, the solution did not lie in putting an end to arms flows, since States’ sovereign rights were implicated. In that regard, the priority objective of the Conference should be to strengthen or develop norms to combat the trade and unlawful manufacture of small arms and light weapons, as well as to promote State responsibility for the transfer of those arms and weapons.

It was also important that the Conference study regional measures, including those undertaken by the Latin American and Caribbean region, and international initiatives, she stated. Subsequent to the Conference, it would be appropriate for States to individually align their legislation with its conclusions and recommendations. Therefore, the Conference should foster a genuine coordination of policies and efforts, and harmonization of national legislation. States Members should be requested to provide laws they had passed regarding small arms and light weapons. They should also provide the Preparatory Committee with statistics on offences or crimes committed in their respective territories with small arms and light weapons, and the categories of those crimes.

CLIVE W.PEARSON (New Zealand) said that the strategy in the Conference should be to develop realistic initiatives that, collectively, would curb illicit production, stockpiling and transfers of small arms. That did not mean stopping trade altogether, however. Clearly, there were legitimate uses for small arms, which needed to be accommodated. The problem of the post-conflict destruction of weapons must be addressed.

New Zealand supported the calls by South Africa, Norway, Switzerland, Canada and others for a “holistic” approach to the small arms crisis. The dimensions of the problem were multifaceted, including their impact on socio-economic development, human rights and human security. A holistic approach must recognize that action at the national, as well as at the regional and international levels, was necessary. In the South Pacific, New Zealand had joined with other countries in the region in adopting the Honiara Initiative, which called for a common approach to weapons control.

Governments, as well as agencies and non-governmental organizations, must work together. The active contributions of non-governmental organizations should be taken fully into account in the Conference process. His Government would advocate their participation as fully and as transparently as possible. It was open-minded about the venue for the 2001 Conference and welcomed the offer of Switzerland to host it in Geneva. However, New York provided the opportunity for the broadest possible participation of countries affected by small arms.

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