Preparatory Committee for the

United Nations Conference on

 The Illicit Trade in Small Arms

 And Light Weapons in All Its Aspects

24^th Meeting (PM)

SMALL ARMS PREPARATORY COMMITTEE APPROVES DRAFT CONFERENCE AGENDA

The Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects this afternoon adopted the draft provisional agenda for the July Conference.  The draft includes a general exchange of views and adoption of the final documents, including a programme of action to eradicate the illicit small arms trade.

Also today, the Committee adopted an organization of work for its third session, to be held in New York from 19 to 30 March.  Following a lively exchange of views during the current session on the Chairman’s proposed draft action plan, Carlos Dos Santos (Mozambique), Chairman of the Preparatory Committee, assured members today that he would provide them with an updated version of the text based on that debate, at least four weeks prior to the next Committee session.  He invited delegations to submit their suggestions in writing and to keep him apprised of regional and subregional events in connection with the small arms question.

There was no “one size fits all approach” to combating the illicit small arms trade, the representative of New Zealand asserted.  Political and practical measures must differ from case to case.  The 2001 Conference was a pivotal link in an ongoing chain of efforts.  Political attention should be focused on those measures which could best achieve the Conference goal without duplicating ongoing work at the regional and subregional levels.  The action plan should not foreclose the participation of those who might contribute additional inputs.

The representative of Slovenia called for a roadmap to stem the flow of illicit arms, as well as a framework for follow-up to the disarmament Conference.  The expectations for the Conference were understandably high, and public awareness of its opportunities was growing.  Tackling the problem required united coalitions, not only of States, but of other international organizations and civil society groups.  Those must be provided the appropriate opportunity to convey their views to the Preparatory Committee and the Conference, itself.

Speaking on behalf of the European Union, the representative of Sweden said that discussions over the last two weeks had clearly demonstrated agreement that the illicit small arms trade needed to be stopped.  Almost all small arms originated from legal sources.  The problem started further down the chain, where weapons were diverted through less scrupulous trading, including theft.  There was a fine line between legal and illegal transfers, and one could only

restrict the number of small arms getting into the illegal circuit by taking strict measures to keep them in legal hands.  

The representative of Jordan, speaking on behalf of the League of Arab States, said the Arab delegations looked forward to active participation in the third preparatory session.  Those delegations also hoped to receive the updated draft action plan as soon as possible.  He called for the participation of regional organizations in the preparatory process and the Conference itself.  He also supported the call of other delegations for the Chairman to continue inter-sessional informal meetings.

The Chairman said the success of the Committee was due to delegations’ cooperation and contributions, which would be needed for the third session, as well as during the inter-sessional period.  He agreed to conduct consultations during that period and would be “knocking on doors” beginning next week.  He looked forward to preparing the next session’s work programme, and to the adoption tomorrow morning of the Committee’s draft report.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Japan, Mexico, South Africa, Norway, Algeria, Argentina, United States, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, Cuba and Canada.

The Preparatory Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. Friday, 19 January, to adopt its report and conclude its second session.

Committee Work Programme

The Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects met this afternoon to consider adoption of the draft provisional agenda for the July Conference (document A/CONF.192/PC.L.2), as well as adoption of the organization of work for the third session of the Preparatory Committee, to be held from 19 to

30 March in New York.

The proposed draft provisional agenda for the Conference recommends an address by the Secretary-General of the United Nations.  The Preparatory Committee would submit its report, and the Conference would then proceed to a general exchange of views among governments, followed by statements by participants.  It would then conclude with the adoption of the final document(s).

The second session of the Committee was expected to conclude tomorrow afternoon with the adoption of a draft report.

Before inviting members to express their views on the organization of the Committee’s work during the inter–sessional period as well as the work during the upcoming third preparatory session, the Chairman opened the floor to comments on the proposed draft action plan. 

Statements

IRENA MERNIK (Slovenia) shared the concern of the international community regarding the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.  Slovenia had joined the struggle to reduce and prevent the illicit small arms trade by convening in Vienna in January 2000, a Conference on small arms and light weapons.  On the 2001 Conference, he believed that concrete objectives and practical achievements should be its outcome.  Those objectives included strengthened global cooperation, comprehensive weapons collection and destruction measures and explicit political commitments.  His delegation also believed that the action programme should draw a roadmap for future action, and should be underpinned by comprehensive follow-up mechanisms.  The complexity of the issue required global cooperation as well as the participation of civil society.

The Committee then adopted the provisional agenda for the 2001 Conference (A/CONF.192/PC/L.2).  The CHAIRMAN then opened the floor for comments on the provisional agenda.

NOBUAKI YAMAMOTO (Japan) said his delegation wondered if the phrase “and observers” could be included following reference to the statements by participants other than States.  That change would broaden the scope of that agenda item to include statements made by non-governmental organizations (NGOs).  He also asked for a clarification of the rules of procedure that would be adopted for the upcoming Conference.  Would the Committee have time to discuss those rules further?  His delegation was not requesting amendments to the provisional agenda.

The CHAIRMAN responded that as he read it, the agenda’s item on statements by participants “other than States” would allow for the participation of statements by civil society groups.  He added that the rules of procedure would be substantively discussed at the third preparatory session.

Turning to the Committee’s organization of work, the CHAIRMAN said he understood that members wanted to use the short time remaining in the current session to study an updated version of the draft programme of action.  To allow as much time as possible, he would endeavor to make that updated draft available at least four weeks prior to the third preparatory session.  He would also ask that an advance copy of that document be made available to delegations by

9 February.  He invited the delegations that intended to organize regional meetings during the inter-sessional meetings to make that known.  In light of the amount of work ahead, it would be important for the Committee to begin all meetings during the upcoming preparatory session in a timely manner.

MARIA ANGELICAARCE DE JEANNET (Mexico) said it was appropriate for the Chairman to continue his informal consultations with all delegations and regional groups during the inter–sessional period.  Mexico particularly wanted to discuss further the modalities of participation for NGOs in the work of the Committee.  An all around clearer understanding of the organization of work would give the Committee a head start at the opening of the third preparatory session.  Continuing the Chairman’s programme of informal consultations would be very helpful in that regard.  While she agreed to inviting relevant United Nations agencies in the third preparatory session, it might also prove helpful to invite the various regional agencies and organizations to share their views.

Regarding the organization of the work of the third preparatory session, the CHAIRMAN said he intended to convene the first meeting of that session on Monday, 19 March at 11 a.m.  After opening the session, he would suggest that the Committee hear briefings by United Nations agencies and Bretton Woods Institutions interested in the subject of small arms. 

He then opened the floor for comments and reactions to the proposed plans for the work ahead.

SUNE DANIELSSON (Sweden), speaking on behalf of the European Union, said that although there were no accurate statistics about the suffering caused by small arms, it appeared that more than 500 million small arms were in circulation, and eight out of 10 casualties in recent armed conflicts had been civilians, many of them women and children.  Action was needed now to tackle that very serious problem.  Most deaths and casualties related to small arms occurred in conflicts, but the number of killings in the course of criminal and terrorist acts should not be discounted.  United Nations and other personnel engaged in development assistance, peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts worldwide deserved to have that threat reduced.

He said discussions over the last two weeks had clearly demonstrated agreement that the illicit small arms trade needed to be stopped.  Almost all small arms originated from legal sources.  The problem started further down the chain, where weapons were diverted through less scrupulous trading, including theft.  There was a fine line between legal and illegal transfers, and one could only restrict the number of small arms getting into the illegal circuit by strict measures to keep them in legal hands.  That was why measures were needed for marking and traceability, record-keeping, export criteria, information exchanges on transfers, and standards for safe storage and stockpile management.

Dealing effectively with the illicit trade required the adoption of measures to prevent small arms from entering the illegal circuit.  Steps were also needed to remove existing illegal weapons through collection and destruction.  A comprehensive approach was needed to deal with the problem in all its aspects, he said.  The illicit trade could not be tackled effectively without addressing issues pertaining to legal production, transfer, and so forth.  Arms that were not legal were, by consequence, illegal.  States must therefore ensure that relevant legislation governing the flow of legal weapons was in place and implemented.  Without that, the international community would be ill-equipped to tackle the flow of illegal small arms.

He said that some measures should be taken globally, but most practical actions should be taken on the national, subregional and regional levels.  Although the small arms problem was global in scope, it took different forms in different regions, making it necessary to find solutions adapted to regional conditions.  Efforts to control the problem had already been undertaken in various regions; the global community should build on those as it prepared for the Conference.  At the international level, measures should include global standards for export control and criteria, transparency and promotion of cooperation and assistance.  Measures were also needed to deal with surplus issues, tracing, financing and brokering of arms.

Regrettably, he said, the Committee had been unable to reach agreement on the participation of NGOs.  That community represented vast knowledge and provided a considerable amount of experience regarding the problems associated with small arms.  Following the their informal addresses this morning, he looked forward to their continued participation at the third session and at the Conference itself.  The Union counted on their active participation in the implementation of the action programme.

JEAN P. DU PREEZ (South Africa) applauded the progress made during the second session.  Discussion of the action programme had provided a good basis for a structured debate at the third session.  The upcoming session would be of great importance, as the Committee would have two weeks to prepare formally for the Conference.  Right from the start, members should begin working towards that goal.  Hopefully it would not be necessary to convene a protracted general debate. 

He suggested that the Chairman use the inter-sessional period to informally consult with delegations.  The outstanding procedural issues such as the modalities of attendance of NGOs, the rules of procedure, the work programme for next session and for the Conference and the structure of the Conference and its presidency, should be resolved informally.  As Chairman of the non-aligned movement of countries (NAM), he assured the Committee Chairman of the Movement’s full support.

GUNNAR LINDEMAN (Norway) said it was important that the Committee had made substantive progress on the Conference programme of action, although he regretted that agreement had not been reached on the participation of NGOs.  He drew attention to the General Assembly mandate for Conference, which highlighted the importance of the participation of civil society organizations in the preparatory process as well as the 2001 Conference itself.  The informal presentations by NGOs earlier in the day had testified to the importance of the participation of civil society. 

RAMEZ GOUSSOUS (Jordan), speaking on behalf of the League of Arab States, said Arab delegations looked forward to active participation in the third preparatory session.  The Arab States also looked forward to receiving the updated draft action plan as soon as possible.  He supported the call of other delegations for the Chairman to continue his programme of inter-sessional informal meetings and also called for the participation of regional organizations such as the Arab League, in the third preparatory meeting.

ABDELKADER MESDOUA (Algeria) said he believed the Committee was on the right track to have resounding success at the 2001 Conference.  It would be extremely helpful if delegations received the updated draft action plan as soon as possible.  He stressed the importance of the participation of regional organizations in the third preparatory session.  The Bamako Declaration, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Framework Document on small arms and the Brasilia Declaration would also be helpful, as the Committee looked to finalize the Conference’s Outcome document.  He agreed that the Chairman should continue his series of informal meetings, but added that those consultations should be open and transparent. 

GABRIELA MARTINIC (Argentina) said the third preparatory session should finalize procedural matters.  It would have a major responsibility, in light of what the Conference expected of the Committee.

JOHN B. SANDAGE (United States) said the Chairman had shown great foresight in the way he had structured the session.  Preparations for the next meeting in March would depend on how closely the next action plan draft came to resolving delegations’ differences.  It should be possible to develop a text that did so, especially if the Chairman consulted broadly in the coming weeks.  If relatively few issues remained, the Committee could focus on those and minimize the need for general comments.  If many remained, however, it would likely need to go through the text again, which it might wish to do paragraph by paragraph, after initial general comments.  The timely turnaround of the next draft action plan would allow delegations to consider their comments in advance. 

NOBUAKI YAMAMOTO (Japan) said, regarding the work programme for the next session, that he shared points raised by some previous speakers, such as the representatives of Mexico, Sweden and South Africa.  He was grateful for the Chairman’s excellent leadership.  His delegation also welcomed the opportunity to listen to the representatives of United Nations agencies, the Bretton Woods Institutions and the representatives of regional organizations.

BRONTE MOULES (Australia) said she was particularly pleased with the progress.  The Committee had come a very long way in a short period of time, and the atmosphere had been particularly constructive.  She looked forward to the new draft action programme and the early commencement of a detailed discussion at the next session.  She would also encourage further informal discussions among delegations and with the Chairman.  She welcomed the suggestion made by the Mexican delegation that regional groups attend the third session.

JOHN BORRIE (New Zealand) said he was grateful for the Chairman’s steadfast leadership.  The 2001 Conference was a pivotal link in an ongoing chain of efforts.  Political attention should be focused on measures which could best achieve its goal without duplicating the ongoing work at regional and subregional levels.  There was no point in “reinventing the wheel”.  Multilateral efforts should foster those initiatives.  Just as it should avoid duplication, the plan of action should not foreclose work at various levels or the participation of those who might fruitfully add additional inputs. 

He said there was no “one size fits all” approach to combating the illicit small arms trade.  Political and practical measures must differ from case to case, and individual recipes must vary.  For example, the illegal cross-border trade in such weapons was a big problem in the South Pacific, but not in his own region.  He supported the proposal by the Mexican and South African delegations, supported also by the representatives of Japan and Australia, that inter-governmental organizations should outline their regional experiences at the third session.  

MARIA SAMPAIO (Brazil) said he hoped that members could pay particular attention to the format of the Preparatory Committee during the inter-sessional period, as well as the structure of the Conference and the final format of a political declaration.  Hopefully, the draft Declaration would be adopted at the conclusion of the third preparatory session.  He supported the suggestion that regional organizations be allowed to participate actively in the next preparatory session.

SYLVESTER ROWE (Sierra Leone) commended the Chairman for assuring the Committee that “the door was still open” for further comments on the documents to be adopted by the upcoming preparatory session.  Speaking from a country gripped by war, he hoped that the programme of action, once finalized, would send a message and prepare concrete groundwork for regional and local action aimed at stemming the flow of illicit small arms.

YAW OSEI (Ghana) looked forward to studying the revised programme of action at regional meetings during the inter-sessional period.  He hoped that an aggressive programme of informal meetings during that period would bridge any gaps in the Committee’s work during the current session, particularly regarding the participation of NGOs in the Committee's work.

HIRA THAPA (Nepal) said his delegation would liked to have seen the issue of NGO participation resolved during this session and hoped that a decision could be reached before the third preparatory session.  He wondered of the

1987 Conference on the relationship between disarmament and development could help guide deliberations on that important issue.

MR. OGUNBANWO (Nigeria) hoped that the Chairman would continue his informal consultations during the inter-sessional period in order to resolve some of the issues left outstanding at the conclusion of the current session.  He particularly believed that the Committee was very close to reaching a decision on issue of the modalities of NGO participation.

ENRIQUE MANALO (Philippines) supported other delegations recognizing the importance of the participation of NGOs and regional groups in the next preparatory session.  He also supported adopting an organization of work that was similar to the one used for the current session.

RODOLFO BENITEZ VERSON (Cuba) said issues deserving consideration during the inter-sessional period included:  modalities for the participation of NGOs; the structure of the Conference; whether the Conference would include a high-level segment; and the role of the Conference president during the inter-sessional period between the third preparatory session and the Conference itself.

DENIS CHOUINARD (Canada) said he looked forward to reviewing the revised draft programme of action during the inter-sessional period.  He assured the Chairman of the support and cooperation of his delegation for the next stages of work, whether informal or formal.

The CHAIRMAN, CARLOS DOS SANTOS (Mozambique) said the Committee’s success was due to delegations’ cooperation and contribution, which would be needed for the third session, as well as during the inter-sessional period.  He accepted the recommendation to conduct consultations in that period and would be “knocking on your doors” beginning next week.  Delegations should read the draft report of the Committee (document A/CONF.192/PC/L.6) tonight so that it could be adopted tomorrow morning.

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