In progress at UNHQ

DC/2730

BRASILIA MEETING ON ILLEGAL SMALL ARMS TRADE SEEKS COMMON REGIONAL APPROACH TO PROBLEM

30 November 2000


Press Release
DC/2730


BRASILIA MEETING ON ILLEGAL SMALL ARMS TRADE SEEKS COMMON REGIONAL APPROACH TO PROBLEM

20001130

BRASILIA, 29 November (Department for Disarmament Affairs) -- Representatives from 22 Latin American and Caribbean States met in Brasilia from 22 to 24 November to seek a common regional approach to the issue of illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons. The meeting was organized by the Government of Brazil with the support of the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UN-LiREC) to prepare for the International Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, scheduled for 9-20 July 2001 in New York.

“Though [the illicit trade in small arms] has truly become a global problem without a passport”, said Mr. Jayantha Dhanapala, Under-Secretary- General for Disarmament Affairs, in an address to the meeting, “each region clearly has its own unique characteristics that must be considered in crafting effective responses to this global challenge.”

In adopting the Brasilia Declaration, the meeting called for the 2001 International Conference to adopt a political declaration and a global programme of action, while also reaffirming that the outcome of the Conference should take into account the right of States to self-defence, as provided for in Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations. The Declaration emphasized the need for the Conference to take into account the specific character and experience of regions, subregions and individual countries, and recommended the adoption of concrete measures that would allow them to formulate plans that most adequately suit their needs. It also called for the strengthening of international cooperation in the judicial, technical, financial and law- enforcement fields. The participants also acknowledged the important role that civil society had to play in achieving the goals of the Conference, especially in the area of educational initiatives and publicity campaigns.

The meeting also reiterated its full support for the candidacy of Ambassador Camilo Reyes Rodriguez of Colombia to chair the 2001 International Conference.

The Brasilia meeting is one in a series of meetings that are being held at the regional and subregional levels to prepare for the 2001 Conference. The Organization of African Unity (OAU), for instance, is currently convening a Ministerial Conference on Small Arms in Bamako, Mali (27 November to 1 December), with the support of the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa.

For the text of the Brasilia Declaration see or for further information contact Mr. Bjorn Holmberg at UN-LiREC Tel: (011-51-1) 422-2711. * *** *

For information media. Not an official record.