REGIONAL CONFERENCE ON SMALL ARMS, LIGHT WEAPONS IN ALMATY, KAZAKHSTAN, 16 - 18 MARCH

Regional conference on Small Arms, Light Weapons

in Almaty, Kazakhstan, 16 - 18 March

NEW YORK, 9 March (Department for Disarmament Affairs) -- Experts from the five Central Asian States -- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan -— will attend a regional conference on the issue of small arms and light weapons in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on 16-18 March 2004.

The purposes of the conference are to familiarize the five with the Programme of Action adopted by the 2001 United Nations Conference on Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, and to assist them in implementation of its provisions.

In the context of implementation of the Programme of Action, the conference will focus on issues such as security and regional trends in small arms and light weapons in Central Asia; challenges in the implementation of the Programme of Action; international and regional cooperation; and the sharing of experiences and lessons learned.  On the margins of the conference, a workshop will be held on preparation of national reports on the implementation of the Programme of Action.

The conference is being organized by the Department for Disarmament Affairs, through its Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific, and in close cooperation with Kazakhstan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The costs of the conference are being met by voluntary contributions, mostly from the Government of Japan.

For further information, contact:  Tsutomu Ishiguri, Director, United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific, tel:  (917) 367-4130, fax:  (212) 963-4989. 

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