At the 2018 UN small arms review conference, governments agreed to use national points of contact to strengthen the exchange of information and other forms of international cooperation. This bulletin fills that gap.

We aim to inform national authorities every six months on good practices in small arms control and the latest developments in the United Nations, so that they have access to the most authoritative and tested methods and policies.

If you, as a national official working on effective small arms control, are easily able to retrieve state-of-the-art tools and information, this will contribute to the goal of ‘disarmament saving lives’: the key objective on conventional arms regulation in the UN Secretary-General’s ‘Disarmament Agenda’.

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2020 SG report on small arms and light weapons

The 2020 report of the Secretary-General on “The illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects and assistance to States for curbing the illicit traffic in small arms and light weapons and collecting them” is now available in all official UN languages.

The report includes an overview of challenges related to the diversion of small arms and light weapons at the national, regional and international levels. It also provides an overview of good practices, lessons learned and recommendations on preventing and combating the diversion and illicit international transfer of small arms and light weapons to unauthorized recipients. The views of Member States, the United Nations system, the International Criminal Police Organization and the World Customs Organization are reflected therein.

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Security Council Report and Briefing

In February 2020, Belgium, non-permanent member of the UN Security Council holding the monthly presidency, organized an open briefing on the thematic issue of small arms and light weapons. The High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, briefed on the latest report of the Secretary-General to the Security Council on small arms and light weapons issued on 30 December 2019 (S/2019/1011).

In the 2019 report, the Secretary-General provides an overview of significant trends and developments over the last two years in the area of small arms and light weapons. The Secretary-General laments the continued rise in global military expenditure and the role that small arms and light weapons continue to play in hindering peace, security and sustainable development.

The High Representative’s briefing to the Security Council centred on two fundamental themes reflected in the report—the role of illicit small arms, light weapons and associated ammunition in conflict and pervasive crime; and the deeply cross-cutting and wide-ranging impact of illicit small arms and light weapons flows.

Following the High Representative’s briefing, the 15 members of the Security Council made statements. Most members emphasized the important role of the Programme of Action on the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons. Several interventions highlighted the role of illicit arms in facilitating acts of terrorism and organized crime and in impeding sustainable development. Gender-sensitive small arms and light weapons control was also underscored as crucial to effective responses.

See Security Council Meetings Coverage and UN News on this briefing.

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BMS7 postponed to 2021

In light of the situation concerning the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the United Nations General Assembly postponed the Seventh Biennial Meeting of States to Consider the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (BMS7) until 2021.

In line with decision A/74/L.62, new dates for BMS7 will be decided by the General Assembly at its seventy-fifth session.

Please note that although BMS7 has been postponed, States are still encouraged to submit their national reports on the implementation of the Programme of Action in 2020.

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Gender & SALW workshop series concluded in Asia-Pacific

With the aim to promote a systematic, gendered approach to small arms control and to strengthen women participation, the Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD) successfully concluded a workshop series on “Gun Violence and Illicit Small-Arms Trafficking from a Gender Perspective”. The series included three sub-regional workshops for South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, and a conclusive regional Seminar for Asia and the Pacific, over the period of July 2018 – March 2020. A video montage of the conclusive event is available here.

The series brought together parliamentarians and women leaders from civil society from Asia and the Pacific. Participants developed actions integrating gender-responsive measures to effectively address armed violence and joint initiatives to take forward gender mainstreaming small arms control in their national setting.

The workshops further raised awareness on the practical application of key international arms control instruments, such as the Arms Trade Treaty and the United Nations Programme of Action on SALW, and their linkage with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda.

UNRCPD consolidated discussions, findings and lessons-learned from all the four events in a Compendium, which will also serve as a guide for further activities on Gender & SALW at the national and regional level.

The workshops were conducted in partnership with the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), UN Women, the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA), the Parliamentary Forum on Small Arms and Light Weapons and the Centre for Arms Violence Reduction, with funds from UNSCAR and the European Union.

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Translation of MOSAIC modules

All Modular Small-arms-control Implementation Compendium (MOSAIC) modules are now available in French, as well as English. In addition, the modules covering cross-cutting issues on women, men and the gendered nature of SALW, as well as on children, adolescents and youth and SALW, are also available in Arabic, Portuguese and Spanish. These authoritative international guidelines are designed to assist Member States and organizations around the world to strengthen their small arms control measures and capacities. The translation of the MOSAIC modules into French is part of a broader effort to ensure the wider accessibility of these modules, including through translation into other languages.

The translation of modules was funded by the Government of France and the EU contributions to a multi-year programme in support of gender and small arms issues.

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UNODA Conventional Arms Branch new chief

Adedeji Ebo has assumed duties as Chief, Conventional Arms Branch, effective March 2020.  He was until then the pioneer Chief of the Security Sector Reform (SSR) Unit, Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions (OROLSI), Department of Peace Operations, New York, since August 2008, with intermittent assignments as the Director of Political Affairs at the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel, UNOWAS (2017–2019), UN Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (2015–2016), and the UN Office in Mali (2013).

Prior to the UN, he was a Senior Fellow and founding Head of the Africa Programme at the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF). He was an Associate Professor and the Head of the Department of Political Science and Defence Studies at the Nigerian Defence Academy. He is an alumnus of the University of Keele, England (BA, International Relations), the London School of Economics and Political Science (MSc, Politics of the World Economy), and Bayero University, Nigeria (PhD, International Relations). His latest publication is: The United Nations and Security Sector Reform: Policy and Practice (co-edited with Prof Heiner Hanggi), published by LIT VERLAG, 2020.

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THEMES

PoA/ITI National Reports 2020

States are committed to submitting national reports biennially on their implementation of the Programme of Action (PoA) and the International Tracing Instrument (ITI). At the third Review Conference in 2018, utilization of national reports is reaffirmed to provide a baseline for measuring progress in their implementation; and needs and opportunities for international assistance and cooperation.  States also agreed to share information on, among others: national action plans; national points of contact; incidents and risks of SALW diversion; SDG-related data collection; gender- and age-disaggregated data; and opportunities and challenges associated with recent developments in SALW manufacturing, technology and design. In accordance with these requirements, the online reporting website has been updated to better assess progress made in the implementation of the PoA and the ITI, as well as the SDGs (i.e. target 16.4). The PoA/ITI online reporting website enables States to submit their reports in 6 UN official languages, and to compile and visually present relevant information in the PoA reporting website (country profiles, international assistance, SDGs and statistics). As of 27 May, 45 national reports have been submitted, which are listed on the PoA reporting website.

The deadline for 2020 reports (covering 2018 and 2019) was 31 May 2020. ODA will continue to receive late submissions. If necessary, Permanent Missions or NPCs should contact conventional-arms@un.org to obtain a country-specific username and password for online reporting. Please see ODA’s Notes Verbales for more details. Once a 2020 report is submitted online, it can be updated and resubmitted anytime throughout the year and in time for BMS7, whenever new data and information become available or any change to National Points of Contact is made. A previous online repot can be quickly revised for a new submission in the next reporting cycle.

Reports from Organizations

Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 74/60, relevant international and regional organizations are encouraged to provide States with assistance in the preparation of PoA/ITI national reports. ODA issued a Note Verbale dated 6 April and requested such organizations to liaise with relevant States, and if possible to share a list of their contact information with ODA.

The Note Verbale also reminded that relevant international and regional organizations submit their own reports. In the RevCon3 outcome document, they are encouraged to report on actions taken at the regional and subregional levels that support the implementation of PoA. A simple template is made available to enhance relevance and consistency of information in the reports.

Reports from organizations are posted on the BMS7 website.

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UNODA Occasional Papers on rethinking unconstrained military spending

The United Nations Charter reflects an explicit understanding of the link between disarmament and development. Article 26 recognizes the need to ensure “the maintenance of international peace and security with the least diversion for armaments of the world’s economic and human resources”. Despite this clear, global commitment, military spending has seen its largest annual increase in a decade, reaching $1917 billion in 2019—a level not seen since the height of the cold war.

Rethinking unconstrained military spending constitutes an important component of the Secretary-General’s Agenda for Disarmament, Securing Our Common Future. In a deteriorating international security environment, reducing military budgets becomes ever-more essential.

By creating opportunities to redirect funds from the military to economic and social development, a reduction in military expenditure can also make a key contribution to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In support of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Agenda for Disarmament, the Office for Disarmament Affairs has published a two-part series of Occasional Papers on rethinking unconstrained military spending intended to promote renewed research on the relationship between military expenditure and economic and social development.

Released in October 2019, the first volume, UNODA Occasional Papers No. 33 by Michael Spies from the Office for Disarmament Affairs, provides a historical overview of United Nations efforts to reduce military expenditures.

Coinciding with  the Global Days of Action on Military Spending and complementary to the recent release of the annual military spending data by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the Office for Disarmament Affairs published the second volume, UNODA Occasional Papers 35, on rethinking unconstrained military spending in April 2020. The papers written by the expert community address the issue of military spending from various angles by examining the impact of military expenditures on international security; the relationship between military spending and the Sustainable Development Goals; the importance of gender perspectives in rethinking military spending; and lessons learned from economic conversion movements.

This research and analysis aim to support the development of new initiatives to reduce military spending with a view to prioritizing investment in peace and sustainable development.

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The impacts of COVID-19 in fragile contexts and what it could mean for small arms control

While the Global North’s governments are struggling to respond to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus COVID-19, countries in the Global South are still in an early stage of the pandemic lacking basic health care infrastructure and medical services in regions ravaged by conflict and armed violence. Thus, societies living in fragile contexts encounter tremendous challenges when facing yet another crisis, the spread of COVID-19. Socio-economic structures, population density, impacts of climate change, related food shortages, and armed conflict are hindrances when it comes to the implementation of COVID-19 preventive measures on a large scale.

While challenges are manifold already, several countries have seen a severe lack in the respect of human rights in their responses to the outbreak of the virus causing large scale riots and violence amongst the population. Adopting authoritarian measures in the response to the crisis is seen to foster mistrust and fear of governmental forces, further weakening the social contract and increasing the potential for self-arming for purposes of self-defense by civilians.

Restrictive measures in the response to the COVID-19 outbreak have also severely impacted humanitarian work and support to broader peacebuilding initiatives, where response vacuums allow for conflict dynamics and risks of community violence to exacerbate. While crucial peacebuilding initiatives, peace processes, and dialogues have been put on hold, long-term gains may be lost and build back from scratch necessary. Security voids lead to increased activity of armed groups and with that a potential increase in the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons and ammunition that needs to be tackled.

That said, the crisis has also seen a dramatic increase in domestic and gender-based violence, as well as an overall increase in crime rates where the use of small arms plays a major role as well.

Moving forward, recommendations request for conflict-sensitive approaches, support to community-led responses, including support for youth and women-led efforts, a strict monitoring of human rights abuses, and initiation of state to citizen dialogues to gain and foster trust instead of spreading fear and hatred. Lastly, while funding for the COVID-19 response is vital, ongoing peacebuilding and with that arms control initiatives should be integrated into the response instead of being stalled, or worse, cancelled.

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Selected modules from the Modular Small-arms-control Implementation Compendium (MOSAIC):

MOSAIC is a set of voluntary practical guidance notes on the full range of small arms control measures, organized into 24 modules (18 completed and 6 under development). We have highlighted nine of these modules in the three previous issues of the Bulletin:

• Setting up national coordinating mechanisms;
• Stockpile management;
• Conducting small arms survey;
• Improving national manufacturing controls;
• Designing and implementing a national action plan;
• Tracing illicit small arms and light weapons;
• Improving national controls over international transfers;
• Designing and implementing community safety programming; and
• Marking and record-keeping

In this issue, we will focus on the modules on cross-cutting issues: one on women, men and the gendered nature of SALW and the other on children, adolescents, youth and SALW.

Women, men and the gendered nature of SALW

Small arms and light weapons neither involve nor affect men and women in the same way. Moreover, women are traditionally underrepresented in initiatives to control these weapons. Looking at the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons through a gender lens recognizes these two factors, as well as the need to undertake gender mainstreaming in order to ensure that the impact of SALW control initiatives is considered at every stage of assessment, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

Gender mainstreaming allows for a better understanding of the roles that men and women play in relation to small arms and light weapons, in times of conflict, post-conflict reconstruction and peace. Promoting gender-balanced participation in small arms and light weapons control protects men’s and women’s rights to participate in decision-making on an issue that affects everyone’s security. Ensuring equal participation by women requires a strong focus on the inclusion of women, especially from affected communities and civil society, and a commitment to gender-sensitive monitoring and evaluation.

The integration of gender perspectives into small arms and light weapons control process is, of course, mandated by international instruments, and this itself is a reflection of a better understanding of the factors driving the demand for and misuse of small arms and light weapons, as well as their impact on everyone’s human rights, development and security. Gender perspectives in the context of SALW initiatives are a critical component in developing responses that are better able to increase the level of welfare provision, reinforce security and strengthen the political legitimacy of the peacebuilding process – in other words, responses that are more holistic, better targeted and more effective.

This MOSAIC module draws together the gender-related threads of other MOSAIC modules, establishes principles and provides guidance on implementing gender-responsive small arms and light weapons control programming. By offering advice on gender-sensitive interventions and actions, It is intended to add to the toolbox for practitioners in the overall effectiveness of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of small arms and light weapons control initiatives, whether they be at the level of legislation, policy, programming or projects.

For guidance on national controls over international transfers of small arms and light weapons, go to MOSAIC on www.un.org/disarmament/salw.

Children, adolescents, youth and SALW

Armed violence perpetrated with small arms and light weapons puts children, adolescents and youth at risk by threatening their security, health, education, wellbeing and development, both during and after conflict, as well as in times of peace. The negative impacts of armed violence on children, adolescents and youth are varied and far-reaching. They include death, physical injury, psychosocial distress and trauma, disrupted access to nutrition, education and healthcare, displacement, loss of opportunities, gender-based violence (including sexual violence), intimidation, exploitation and abuse. Such impacts are preventable. The death, injury and mistreatment of children, adolescents and youth can be avoided or at least significantly reduced through responsible action by adults to protect them and also through action by children, adolescents and youth themselves, as agents of change.

It is important to note that the use of small arms by children, adolescents and youth is not always associated with inter-personal or inter-group violence. In many countries, young people use small arms for recreational purposes (e.g. hunting and sport shooting) in secure, regulated and organized settings. In some countries, young people use small arms to engage in subsistence hunting in order to supplement the livelihoods of their families or to mark their coming of age in societal rites of passage. Even in well-regulated contexts, and even in otherwise peaceful societies, small arms can be misused, either intentionally or unintentionally, with devastating consequences for children, adolescents and youth. While acknowledging the diversity of contexts in which young people may interact with small arms, it is important to focus on minimizing the risks that such weapons pose to this age-group. In addition, the active and meaningful participation of children, adolescents and youth in efforts to control small arms and light weapons can foster sustainability and can bring much-needed creativity and energy to bear on this issue.

While aspects of the illicit trade, uncontrolled proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons as they relate to children, adolescents and youth have been incorporated where appropriate into all MOSAIC modules, this focused module pulls together those threads as they relate to children, adolescents and youth, It seeks to provide practical guidance on designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating initiatives to control small arms and light weapons— whether they be at the level of legislation, policy, programming or projects — that are sensitive and responsive to the specific rights, needs and capacities of children, adolescents and youth.

For guidance on designing and implementing community safety programming, go to MOSAIC on www.un.org/disarmament/salw.

Ammunition Management Advisory Team

Ageing, unstable and excess conventional ammunition stockpiles pose the dual risks of accidental explosions at munition sites and diversion to the illicit market. The humanitarian impact of ammunition-storage-area explosions has resulted in death, injury, environmental damage, displacement and disruption of livelihoods. Moreover, diversion from ammunition stockpiles has fueled armed conflict and violence and contributed to the manufacture of improvised explosive devices.

In response to these challenges, and in line with the Secretary-General’s agenda for disarmament Securing Our Common Future, the Ammunition Management Advisory Team (AMAT) was established as an international technical advisory and assistance mechanism on ammunition management. A joint initiative of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), under the umbrella of the UN SaferGuard Programme, and the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), AMAT works to enhance State and regional action on the safe and secure management of ammunition and to facilitate sustainable and effective international cooperation and assistance.

Operational since January 2019, AMAT provides expert technical assistance to interested States and other partners, in accordance with the highest existing international standards, namely the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG).

By doing so, AMAT contributes directly to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular Goal 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions.

National authorities interested in requesting technical assistance in conventional ammunition management under the UN SaferGuard Programme can contact conventionalarms-unoda@un.org.

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

UNSCAR trust fund

The implementation of the 2020 projects has been initiated after delays in administrative matters. In June, UNSCAR will make an announcement regarding the 2020 Call for Proposals via the UNSCAR website.

Current funding partners

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CONNECT

• National Points of Contact / National Coordination Agencies for the Programme of Action
• United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA)
• Regional Centres for disarmament
• United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)
• UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
• UNODC regional centres / offices
• SEESAC (South-Eastern & Eastern Europe)

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En la Conferencia de Examen de las Naciones Unidas sobre armas pequeñas celebrada en 2018, los gobiernos acordaron utilizar puntos de contacto nacionales para mejorar el intercambio de información y otras formas de cooperación internacional. Ese es el propósito de este boletín.

Nuestro objetivo es informar a las autoridades nacionales cada seis meses sobre buenas prácticas en el control de armas pequeñas y los últimos avances de las Naciones Unidas, de manera que conozcan las políticas y métodos de probada eficacia más fidedignos.

Si usted, en cuanto funcionario nacional que trabaja para el control efectivo de las armas pequeñas, tiene acceso a información y a las herramientas más avanzadas, podría contribuir al «desarme para salvar vidas», objetivo principal de la reglamentación de armas convencionales en la «Agenda de Desarme» del Secretario General de la ONU.

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Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas: la 74^o sesión

En el mes de septiembre, los Estados Miembros se reunieron con motivo de la apertura del septuagésimo cuarto período de sesiones de la Asamblea General. La serie de sesiones de alto nivel anual se celebró del 24 al 30 de septiembre. Los Jefes de Estado y de Gobierno así como otras  autoridades de alto nivel hicieron uso de la palabra en este nuevo período de sesiones centrando su discurso en el tema del año— “Impulsar los esfuerzos multilaterales para la erradicación de la pobreza, la calidad de la educación, la acción contra el cambio climático y la inclusión”.

Tras la fase de alto nivel, la Primera Comisión de la Asamblea General se reunirá durante cinco semanas, del 7 de octubre al 8 de noviembre, enfocándose en cuestiones específicas en el ámbito del desarme y la seguridad internacional. Como es habitual, entre las principales actividades de la Comisión se celebrará un debate sobre el tema específico de las “armas convencionales”, incluidas las armas pequeñas.

Está previsto que se examine la resolución anual sobre “El tráfico ilícito de armas pequeñas y ligeras en todos sus aspectos” (A/RES/73/69). Esta resolución reflejará probablemente los resultados del 2018 de la Tercera Conferencia de Revisión del Programa de Acción y el Instrumento Internacional de Localización, incluida la decisión de convocar una Reunión Bienal de Estados de una semana de duración los días 15 a 19 de junio de 2020. En las deliberaciones se tendrán en cuenta las recomendaciones formuladas en el informe de 2019 del Secretario General sobre esta cuestión (A/74/187).

En este período de sesiones también se presentará la resolución bienal sobre los “Problemas que plantea la acumulación excesiva de existencias de municiones convencionales” y probablemente se recordará la solicitud realizada al Secretario General para que convoque a un grupo de expertos gubernamentales sobre este tema en 2020 (A/RES/72/55), a fin de que allane el camino para que el sistema de las Naciones Unidas pueda avanzar en esta cuestión. Para más información véase el apartado “Municiones” de este boletín.

Entre otras resoluciones aprobadas históricamente con periodicidad anual sobre las armas pequeñas y  ligeras cabe señalar las relativas a la “Asistencia a los Estados para detener el tráfico ilícito de armas pequeñas y  ligeras y proceder a su recogida” (A/73/52) y al “Tratado sobre el Comercio de Armas” (A/RES/73/36).

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Grupo de Expertos Gubernamentales sobre Registro de Armas Convencionales de las Naciones Unidas

#ggeunrocaA través del Registro de Armas Convencionales de las Naciones Unidas (UNROCA) los Estados Miembros de las Naciones Unidas informan  a la Organización de sus transferencias internacionales de las siete categorías de armas convencionales. Los Gobiernos presentan informes sobre sus importaciones y exportaciones de armas y también se les insta a incluir información sobre sus adquisiciones anuales de armas de producción nacional y sus existencias totales de material bélico. Además, UNROCA constituye un importante instrumento de transparencia y una medida de fomento de la seguridad que puede ayudar a generar confianza entre Estados mediante el intercambio de información, contribuyendo a la diplomacia preventiva, la paz y la estabilidad.

UNROCA es un instrumento vivo. Cada tres años, un Grupo de Expertos Gubernamentales (GGE) examina el mantenimiento y la relevancia del Registro y su perfeccionamiento.

A finales del pasado mes de junio, el último Grupo de Expertos Gubernamentales (GGE) sobre UNROCA concluyó su trabajo y aprobó un informe por consenso.

El Grupo estaba constituido por expertos –tanto mujeres como hombres– de Alemania, Argentina, Brasil, China, Croacia, Estados Unidos, Francia, India, el Japón, Países Bajos, Reino Unido, Rusia, Senegal, Singapur y Sudáfrica. La Presidenta, Sra. Mariela Fogante, de Argentina, fue la primera mujer en presidir un Grupo de Expertos en el ámbito de las armas convencionales desde 1999.

El informe del Grupo de Expertos de 2019 contiene una serie de recomendaciones para garantizar la relevancia del Registro y su adaptación a los avances tecnológicos

Dos aspectos destacados:

Este Grupo recibió un fuerte impulso al recomendar a los Estados Miembros de las Naciones Unidas que informaran sobre sus transferencias internacionales de armas pequeñas y ligeras en paralelo con sus informes sobre los siete sistemas de armas principales (carros de combate, vehículos blindados de combate, sistemas de artillería de gran calibre, aviones de combate y vehículos aéreos de combate no tripulados, helicópteros de ataque, buques de guerra y misiles y lanzamisiles);

El informe incluye una sección sobre la utilización del Registro como instrumento de fomento de la confianza.

El informe del Grupo puede encontrarse en https://undocs.org/es/A/74/211.

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Quinta Conferencia de los Estados Partes del Tratado sobre el Comerio de Armas

La Quinta Conferencia de los Estados Parte (CSP5) del Tratado sobre el Comercio de Armas (TCA) se celebró los días 26 a 30 de agosto de 2019 en Ginebra, bajo la presidencia del Embajador Jānis Kārkliņš de Lituania. El Presidente había propuesto como tema prioritario para la Conferencia el género y la violencia de género en el contexto del TCA.

El Tratado, que entró en vigor en 2014, cuenta ahora con 105 Estados Parte, que se han comprometido a aplicar las normas comunes del comercio internacional de armas convencionales y municiones.

La CPS5 aprobó un informe final, con recomendaciones y decisiones sobre  género y  violencia de género, el Fondo de Contribuciones Voluntarias para el Tratado sobre el Comercio de Armas y la aplicación efectiva del Tratado. Los Estados reconocieron la importancia de la adhesión universal al Tratado y también hicieron hincapié en la importancia de la transparencia y la presentación de informes.

La CPS5 también decidió celebrar su próxima sesión oficial anual (Sexta Conferencia), en Ginebra (Suiza) los días 17 a 21 de agosto de 2020, bajo la presidencia del Embajador Carlos Foradori, de la Argentina.

Para más información:

• Declaración principal del Alto Representante de las Naciones Unidas para Asuntos de Desarme, Izumi Nakamitsu, en CSP5
• Texto oficioso sobre el género y la violencia de género elaborado por el Presidente de la Quinta Conferencia de los Estados Partes en el Tratado sobre el Comercio de Armas, Embajador Kārkliņš
• Observaciones del Alto Representante de las Naciones Unidas para Asuntos de Desarme sobre el género y la violencia de género
• Documentos de la conferencia, incluido el informe final

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Capacitación en línea sobre Género y Desarme

El Centro de Capacitación de ONU Mujeres, la Oficina de Asuntos de Desarme de las Naciones Unidas (UNODA) y la sección de Mujeres, Paz y Seguridad de ONU Mujeres, han desarrollado conjuntamente un curso de  capacitación en línea sobre Género y Desarme.

El curso en línea se divide en dos módulos:

• El primer módulo presenta los conceptos y marcos normativos sobre género, desarme y control de armas, y explica por qué el desarme y el género son importantes para un desarrollo sostenible. Destaca la necesidad de un desarme con una perspectiva de género y el control de armas debido a las repercusiones que tienen en las cuestiones relacionadas con el género y explica cómo las normas y roles de género sustentan los conflictos, así como los procesos de toma de decisiones.

• El segundo módulo se centra en el papel que las mujeres pueden y deben jugar en el desarme y el control de armas.

El curso está disponible de forma gratuita y se puede acceder aquí. Ha sido diseñado para los responsables políticos y los defensores que desean aprender más sobre la relevancia del desarme en las cuestiones de género y el control de armas, aunque el público en general también se beneficiará del curso.

El curso está actualmente disponible en inglés. Las versiones en francés y español se publicarán en breve en el sitio web del Centro de Capacitación de ONU Mujeres.

El desarrollo del curso fue financiado por UNSCAR.

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Nuevas tecnologías: Próximas medidas que deben adoptar las Naciones Unidas

Desde la aprobación, en el marco del Programa de Acción sobre las Armas Pequeñas, del Instrumento Internacional de Localización en 2005, han surgido diversos métodos de diseño y producción de armas que podrían afectar a las iniciativas internacionales contra el comercio ilícito de armas pequeñas y ligeras. Desde 2011, los Estados han venido debatiendo sobre la posibilidad de que el uso de materiales no tradicionales (como los polímeros) y la modularidad del diseño puedan alterar la forma de marcar, localizar y registrar las armas.

En 2018, la Asamblea General pidió al Secretario General que formulara recomendaciones sobre el posible modo de afrontar las oportunidades y los retos planteados por estos avances (A/RES/73/69).

En su informe anual sobre “ El comercio ilícito de armas pequeñas y ligeras en todos sus aspectos” (A/74/187), el Secretario General incluye una lista de elementos que podrían servir de base para la elaboración de un anexo complementario al Instrumento Internacional de Localización. Dichos elementos tienen como finalidad facilitar la aplicación de la recomendación de 2014 sobre la conveniencia de que los Estados examinen la posibilidad de elaborar un documento complementario del Instrumento, que reflejaría las implicaciones de los recientes avances tecnológicos, al tiempo que garantizaría la plena eficacia del Instrumento de cara al futuro.

El Secretario General invita a los Estados a aprovechar la Séptima Reunión Bienal de los Estados, que se celebrará en 2020 (15 a 19 de junio) para debatir sobre la forma de concluir dicho anexo complementario.

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TEMAS

Las ONGs y los mecanismos de coordinación nacionales: ¿Cuál podría ser su papel?

Muchos países incluyen a representantes de la sociedad civil en su mecanismo de coordinación nacional para la ejecución del Plan de Acción de Naciones Unidas sobre las armas pequeñas en otros casos, el mecanismo de coordinación nacional consulta periódicamente a dichos representantes (véase  MOSAIC 03.40: Mecanismos nacionales de coordinación sobre el control de armas pequeñas y armas ligeras).

UNSCAR ha apoyado y catalizado la cooperación y el diálogo entre las organizaciones locales de la sociedad civil y las autoridades nacionales, desde Camerún, Ghana y Guatemala, hasta Filipinas, Kirguistán y Sierra León.

La Red de Acción Internacional sobre Armas Pequeñas (RAIAP) ha realizado una encuesta sobre la participación de los representantes de la sociedad civil y las mujeres en los mecanismos de coordinación nacional sobre armas pequeñas. ¿Es usted un Punto de Contacto Nacional (PNC)? En caso afirmativo, sírvase responder esta encuesta antes del 31 de octubre de 2019, a fin de ayudar a la RAIAP a ultimar este estudio financiado por el UNSCAR.

Podrá acceder a la encuesta aquí.

IANSA es el organismo coordinador oficial de la sociedad civil para el proceso de las Naciones Unidas relativo a las armas pequeñas.

Se ruega tener presente que la información se utilizará únicamente para identificar buenas prácticas de inclusión y no para criticar a ningún Gobierno. Si desea plantear alguna pregunta sobre la encuesta, sírvase remitirla a la IANSA a la dirección rose.welsch@iansa.org.

Obviamente, este proyecto es independiente de los informes nacionales oficiales sobre la ejecución del Programa de Acción de las Naciones Unidas que los países deben presentar cada dos años. UNODA informará a los Estados del procedimiento de presentación del próximo informe nacional (correspondiente a los años 2018 y 2019), que deberá presentarse en el primer semestre de 2020.

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Operaciones de paz: gestión eficaz de armamentos y municiones

El mantenimiento de la paz sigue siendo uno de los instrumentos más eficaces para promover y mantener la paz y la seguridad internacionales dentro del sistema de las Naciones Unidas. Las actividades de desarme, desmovilización y reintegración (DDR) a menudo forman parte de las operaciones de paz de la Organización y son fundamentales para sentar las bases de una paz, una seguridad y un desarrollo duraderos.

Para apoyar los enfoques innovadores del personal dedicado a las labores de desarme, desmovilización y reintegración, el Departamento de Operaciones de Paz de Naciones Unidas (DOP) y la Oficina de Asuntos de Desarme (UNODA) trabajan conjuntamente en un proyecto sobre gestión eficaz de armamentos y municiones en un contexto de desarme, desmovilización y reintegración en evolución.

La iniciativa tiene como finalidad proporcionar recursos y conocimientos especializados, entre otras cosas mediante una guía práctica (disponible en inglés y francés) y un curso de capacitación, con el objetivo de ayudar al personal dedicado a las labores de desarme, desmovilización y reintegración a diseñar y poner en marcha actividades de gestión de armas y municiones conformes con las normas y directrices internacionales más estrictas, a saber, el Compendio de Módulos sobre la Ejecución del Control de Armas Pequeñas (MOSAIC) y las Directrices Técnicas Internacionales sobre Municiones (IATG).

Esta iniciativa conjunta también facilitará la prestación de asistencia técnica en los entornos en los que tienen lugar las operaciones de paz. Entre el 28 de julio y el 6 de agosto de 2019, el DOP y la UNODA desplegaron una primera misión de evaluación técnica a la Misión de las Naciones Unidas de Apoyo a la Justicia en Haití (MINUJUSTH). Dicha misión se centró en las actividades de gestión de armas y municiones que pudieran contribuir a la reducción de la violencia en las comunidades y a las iniciativas ADDR en Haití.

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Módulos seleccionados del Compendio de MOSAIC

MOSAIC es un conjunto de notas de orientación prácticas voluntarias sobre la gama completa de medidas de control de armas pequeñas, organizado en 24 módulos. Hemos destacado seis de estos 24 módulos en los dos números anteriores del Boletín, que abarcan el establecimiento de mecanismos nacionales de coordinación; gestión de arsenales; realización de encuestas sobre armas pequeñas; mejorar los controles nacionales de fabricación; diseñar e implementar un plan nacional de acción; y el rastreo de armas pequeñas y ligeras ilegales. En este número, nos centraremos en mejorar en los módulos los controles nacionales sobre las transferencias internacionales; el diseño e implementación de programas de seguridad comunitaria; el marcado y el registro.

Mejora de los controles nacionales sobre las transferencias internacionales

Municiones: revisión de 2020 GGE e IATG

Grupo de Expertos Gubernamentales 2020

En la resolución 72/55, la Asamblea General alentó las consultas abiertas y oficiosas centradas en el manejo de municiones convencionales. En la misma resolución, también se solicitó al Secretario General que convocara a un grupo de expertos gubernamentales (GEG) sobre “problemas derivados de la acumulación excesiva de existencias de municiones convencionales” en 2020 teniendo en cuenta los debates abiertos, consultas oficiosas.

Dichas consultas oficiosas se llevaron a cabo en 2018 y 2019, centradas en particular en los dobles desafíos de explosiones no planificadas en los depósitos de municiones y el desvío de municiones a receptores no autorizados.

El Secretario General convocará al GEG a tres sesiones – en enero, abril y julio de 2020. El informe del GEG será examinado en la septuagésima quinta sesión de la Asamblea General.

Directrices Técnicas Internacionales sobre Municiones

El GEG de 2020 será el segundo sobre el tema de las municiones convencionales. Un GEG de 2008 presentó un informe exhaustivo sobre los problemas derivados de la acumulación excesiva de arsenales convencionales, concluyendo que los problemas derivados de la acumulación de excedentes son en gran medida el resultado de políticas y prácticas inadecuadas de la gestión de existencias.

Al abordar la recomendación específica del GEG, la Asamblea General solicitó a las Naciones Unidas que desarrollaran directrices para la gestión adecuada de municiones. En respuesta, las Directrices Técnicas Internacionales de Municiones (IATG) se desarrollaron en 2011 y el Programa SaferGuard de las Naciones Unidas se estableció como la plataforma de gestión del conocimiento correspondiente.

Las IATG se revisan y actualizan, como mínimo, cada cinco años para reflejar la evolución de las normas y prácticas de gestión de las existencias de municiones, así como para incorporar los cambios debidos a las modificaciones en los reglamentos y requisitos internacionales. La última versión de la IATG se publicó en 2015.

Con el apoyo de una Junta de Revisión Técnica compuesta por expertos técnicos nacionales seleccionados y un Grupo de Coordinación Estratégica correspondiente compuesto por organizaciones de expertos, el Programa SaferGuard de las Naciones Unidas se encuentra actualmente en proceso de actualización de la IATG. La versión 3 de IATG se completará en 2020.

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Cómo trabaja la Organización Mundial de Aduanas en el control de armas pequeñas

La Organización Mundial de Aduanas (OMA) inició un plan de capacitación en Armas Pequeñas en 2015 para apoyar a las administraciones de aduanas a implementar el Tratado sobre el Comercio de Armas (2013).

En 2017, la OMA desarrolló un plan de capacitación sobre Armas Pequeñas y Ligeras que ofrece un “módulo de capacitación para formadores” de armas pequeñas diseñado para brindar formación sostenible a los funcionarios de aduanas de primera línea en la detección y enjuiciamiento de armas pequeñas ilícitas detectadas en la frontera.

La capacitación cubre elementos tales como gestión de riesgos, licencias y certificación de usuario final, identificación y examen físico, y técnicas de procedimientos forenses. La capacitación se ha impartido con éxito en varios lugares y se proporcionan materiales a las administraciones de los países miembros para incorporarlos en sus propios programas nacionales de capacitación.

Los elementos de la capacitación también están disponibles a través del portal de aprendizaje en línea de la OMA, que está disponible para los funcionarios de aduanas de todas las administraciones que son miembros. Además, como parte del Programa de Seguridad de la OMA más amplio, la OMA también puede llevar a cabo misiones de evaluación y proporcionar capacitación a los encargados de la formulación de políticas y a los gerentes superiores en relación con la detección de armas pequeñas.

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INTERPOL: El valor del acceso descentralizado a la base de datos de armas de la INTERPOL “I-24/7”

INTERPOL proporciona una serie de herramientas para ayudar a los organismos encargados de hacer cumplir la ley en todo el mundo a abordar los delitos con armas de fuego:

• Sistema de Gestión de Registros y rastreo de armas ilícitas de INTERPOL (iARMS). Esta es la única base de datos global que contiene registros de armas de fuego perdidas, robadas, de tráfico/ de contrabando. También sirve como plataforma para el rastreo internacional de armas de fuego, proporcionando pistas de investigación sobre el último propietario legal del arma de fuego, información sobre rutas de tráfico y las organizaciones criminales involucradas.
• Cuadro de Referencia de INTERPOL sobre Armas de Fuego. Integrado en la base de datos del iARMS, el Cuadro proporciona un marco estándar para identificar y describir armas de fuego. Con referencias e imágenes de armas de fuego, el IFRT permite a los investigadores obtener y v erificar detalles tales como marca, modelo, calibre, país de origen y número de serie.

Estas herramientas están disponibles a través de la red de comunicación segura de INTERPOL, conocida como I-24/7, que conecta a los 194 países miembros a través de su Oficinas Centrales Nacionales (OCN) de INTERPOL. Para beneficiarse plenamente de estas bases de datos, se alienta a los BCN a extender el iARMS a:

• Agencias de mantenimiento de registros de armas de fuego: Actores clave en el rastreo de armas de fuego ilícitas, estas agencias son responsables del registro de armas de fuego y el mantenimiento de los registros de armas de fuego que se han declarado perdidas y robadas.
• Fuerzas del Orden: Es imperativo que los investigadores de primera línea obtengan todas las pistas posibles de las armas de fuego recuperadas. Mientras que el IFRT ayudará a los oficiales a identificar con precisión las armas de fuego incautadas, el iARMS les permitirá rastrear las armas de fuego con el fin de obtener información sobre el desvío de las armas de fuego hacia el mercado ilegal.
• Unidades especializadas en delitos relacionados con armas de fuego: El iARMS permite el desarrollo de información y análisis sobre armas de fuego ilícitas a nivel nacional. Por lo tanto,
  las unidades especializadas, como los puntos focales de armas de fuego, pueden extraer pistas sobre las rutas de tráfico y las organizaciones criminales y detectar deficiencias en la cadena de custodia de armas de fuego.

El valor de iARMS depende de su uso generalizado y sistemático por parte de los países miembros. Es crucial que la mayor cantidad posible de agencias relevantes tengan acceso a iARMS e Cuadro de Referencia de INTERPOL sobre Armas de Fuego para garantizar que los líderes de investigación se recopilen y puedan recuperarse cuando sea necesario, y para facilitar el intercambio rápido de información sobre investigaciones urgentes.

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Asistencia en América Latina y el Caribe

UNLIREC forma parte de la Oficina de Asuntos de Desarme de las Naciones Unidas en Nueva York. Su función principal es ayudar a los Estados a lograr y mantener la paz y la seguridad mediante el desarme, el control de armas y la no proliferación de ADM. UNLIREC opera desde Lima, Perú, con 33 Estados en la región de América Latina y el Caribe que forman parte de su mandato geográfico. Para obtener más información, acceda a: www.unlirec.org.

Mitigar el tráfico ilícito de armas y municiones

UNLIREC está trabajando con funcionarios de inspección de América Central y del Sur para mejorar la detección de envíos ilícitos de armas y municiones a través de puntos de entrada/ salida, incluidos aeropuertos, y servicios de mensajería y penitenciarios. Es crucial para este esfuerzo de formación una guía de identificación de rayos X desarrollada por UNLIREC. Contiene descripciones y especificaciones técnicas de armas, así como orientación para detectar métodos innovadores de ocultamiento utilizados por los traficantes.

UNLIREC también ayuda a los Estados a diseñar respuestas políticas adecuadas para combatir la proliferación de municiones. Es por eso que ofrecemos una serie de talleres nacionales para los responsables de la formulación de políticas sobre controles de municiones en América Central y del Sur.

Mientras tanto, con el fin de apoyar a los Estados centroamericanos y caribeños para que implementen el Tratado sobre el Comercio de Armas, UNLIREC impartió formación para la prevención del desvío y orientación sobre cómo establecer una autoridad de control nacional responsable de las transferencias internacionales de armas.

Mejora de la capacidad de rastreo de armas pequeñas

Para armonizar y mejorar aún más las capacidades de rastreo en línea con el Instrumento Internacional de Localización (IIL), UNLIREC aumentó la capacidad de los examinadores de armas de fuego del Caribe para presentar una evidencia balística confiable ante los tribunales de justicia. Se donó equipo de última generación a laboratorios forenses para mejorar la gestión de calidad de la evidencia y de los casos.

Fomentar la prevención de la violencia contra la mujer mediante el control de armas

UNLIREC trabajó con los Estados latinoamericanos para implementar enfoques sensibles a las cuestiones de género para la reducción de la violencia armada, así como para empoderar a las mujeres a avanzar en el proceso de desarme y control de armas. Las actividades están en consonancia con la Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo Sostenible, en particular la Meta 5.2 con el objetivo de eliminar todas las formas de violencia contra todas las mujeres y niñas, así como la Meta 16.4 con vistas a reducir los flujos ilícitos de armas, y la resolución 65/69 de la Asamblea General.

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OPORTUNIDADES DE FINANCIACIÓN

Fondo fiduciario de UNSCAR: unir las necesidades con los recursos

El Fondo Fiduciario de las Naciones Unidas que apoya la cooperación en materia de regulación de armas (UNSCAR) es un mecanismo de financiación a pequeña escala y de impacto rápido en asociación con organizaciones de la sociedad civil, organizaciones regionales y entidades de las Naciones Unidas. Los donantes tienen una participación significativa del fondo: seleccionan las mejores propuestas.

Desde su creación, UNSCAR brindó apoyo financiero para 80 proyectos, desde mejoras en el depósito de municiones a llevar ONGs de base comunitaria a las reuniones de la ONU, hasta formar a herreros locales para fabricar herramientas agrícolas en lugar de armamento. Más de 140 Estados se han beneficiado directa o indirectamente de las actividades financiadas por UNSCAR.

Este año, UNSCAR recibió 57 solicitudes. Los donantes se decidirán en octubre. Todos los solicitantes serán informados del resultado de la selección en noviembre. Los proyectos exitosos se implementarán a partir de enero/febrero de 2020 durante un año.

UNSCAR es un éxito probado. Los estados aún pueden contribuir a ello, de modo que se puedan financiar aún más proyectos.

Visite www.un.org/disarmament/unscar para obtener más información sobre el fondo fiduciario UNSCAR y cómo su país puede beneficiarse o contribuir.

Socios financiadores actuales

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SALIENT: actualización 

Como se destacó en números anteriores del Boletín, está en marcha el establecimiento de un servicio específico dedicado a garantizar un financiamiento sostenido para medidas coordinadas e integradas de control de armas pequeñas en los países más afectados. Gracias a los esfuerzos conjuntos de la UNODA y el PNUD, en estrecha cooperación con la Oficina de Apoyo a la Consolidación de la Paz, la Entidad Salvar Vidas, o “SALIENT”, espera iniciar proyectos piloto en 2020. El fondo se lanzará en un evento paralelo en la sede de la ONU el 24 octubre de 2019

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CONTACTO

• Todos los puntos de contacto nacionales / mecanismos de coordinación nacional para el control de las armas pequeñas del Programa de Acción
• Oficina de Asuntos de Desarme de las Naciones Unidas (UNODA)
• Centros regionales para el desarme
• Instituto de las Naciones Unidas de Investigación sobre el Desarme (UNIDIR)
• Oficina de las Naciones Unidas contra la Droga y el Delito (UNODC)
• Centros y oficinas de la UNODC
• SEESAC (Europa Sudoriental y Oriental)

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At the 2018 UN small arms review conference, governments agreed to use national points of contact to strengthen the exchange of information and other forms of international cooperation. This bulletin fills that gap.

We aim to inform national authorities every six months on good practices in small arms control and the latest developments in the United Nations, so that they have access to the most authoritative and tested methods and policies.

If you, as a national official working on effective small arms control, are easily able to retrieve state-of-the-art tools and information, this will contribute to the goal of ‘disarmament saving lives’: the key objective on conventional arms regulation in the UN Secretary-General’s ‘Disarmament Agenda’.

NEWS

United Nations General Assembly: the 74th session

In September, Member States convened for the opening of the 74^th session of the General Assembly. The annual high-level segment took place from 24 through 30 September. Heads of State, Heads of Government, and other senior authorities addressed the new session of the Assembly with a focus on this year’s theme— “Galvanizing multilateral efforts for poverty eradication, quality education, climate change and inclusion”.

Following the high-level segment, the General Assembly’s First Committee will convene for five weeks from 7 October through 8 November to focus on specific issues in the field of disarmament and international security. As usual, a dedicated thematic exchange on ‘conventional weapons’, including small arms, will form a key component of the discussions.

The annual resolution on “The illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects” is expected to be considered (A/RES/73/69). This resolution is likely to reflect the outcomes of the 2018 Third Review Conference of the Programme of Action and International Tracing Instrument, including the decision to convene a one-week Biennial Meeting of States from 15-19 June 2020. Deliberations will take into account the recommendations set out in the 2019 report of the Secretary-General on the issue (A/74/187).

The biennial resolution on “Problems arising from the accumulation of conventional ammunition stockpiles in surplus” will also be tabled at this session, and is likely to recall the request to the Secretary-General to convene a group of governmental experts on this topic in 2020 (A/RES/72/55). Such a Group will usually pave the way for the UN as a whole to make progress on the issue it deals with. For details: see below under ‘Ammunition’

Other resolutions related to small arms and light weapons that are traditionally adopted on an annual basis include those on “Assistance to States for curbing the illicit traffic in small arms and light weapons and collecting them” (A/73/52) and “The Arms Trade Treaty” (A/RES/73/36).

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Group of Governmental Experts on the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms

The United Nations Register of Conventional Arms (UNROCA) enables UN Member States to report to the United Nations their international transfers of seven categories of conventional arms. Governments report on their arms imports and exports and are also encouraged to report their annual acquisition of weapons through domestic production. Moreover, they can report their total military holdings. UNROCA thus serves as an important transparency instrument and confidence-building measure that can help build trust among States through information-sharing, contributing to preventive diplomacy, peace and stability.

UNROCA is a living instrument. Every three years a Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) reviews the operation and relevance of UNROCA, and its further development.

At the end of this past June, the most recent GGE on UNROCA concluded its work and adopted a consensus report.

The Group was composed of experts – equally women and men – from Argentina, Brazil, China, Croatia, France, Germany, India, Japan, the Netherlands, Russia, Senegal, Singapore, South Africa, the United States and the United Kingdom. The Chair, Ms. Mariela Fogante of Argentina, was the first woman to chair a Group of experts in the area of conventional arms since 1999.

This 2019 GGE report contains a number of recommendations to ensure that the Register remains relevant and keeps pace with technological developments.

Two main highlights:

This Group reached a milestone by recommending that UN Member States report international transfers of small arms and light weapons in parallel with reporting on the seven major weapons systems (battle tanks, armored vehicles, large artillery, manned and unmanned aerial combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, and missiles and missile launchers);

The report includes a section dedicated to the use of UNROCA as a confidence-building tool.

The Group’s report can be found at https://undocs.org/en/A/74/211.

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Arms Trade Treaty: Fifth Conference of State Parties

The Fifth Conference of State Parties (CSP5) to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) was held from 26-30 August 2019 in Geneva. The Conference was chaired by Ambassador Jānis Kārkliņš of Latvia, who had proposed gender and gender-based violence in the context of the ATT as a priority theme for the Conference.

The Treaty, which entered into force in 2014, has now 105 States Parties, who have committed themselves to applying common standards in the international trade in conventional arms and ammunition.

CSP5 adopted a final report, with recommendations and decisions on gender and gender-based violence, the ATT Voluntary Trust Fund, and effective Treaty implementation. States also acknowledged the importance of universal adherence to the Treaty and emphasized the significance of transparency and reporting.

CSP5 also decided to hold its next formal annual session, the Sixth Conference of States Parties, in Geneva, Switzerland on 17 to 21 August 2020. Ambassador Carlos Foradori of Argentina has been elected President of the 2020 Conference.

Further information:

• Keynote statement by the United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, at CSP5
• Non-paper on gender and gender-based violence by the President of CSP5, Ambassador Kārkliņš
• Remarks on gender and gender-based violence by the United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs
• Conference documents, including the final report

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Gender and Disarmament Online Training

The UN Women Training Center, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the Women, Peace and Security section of UN Women, have jointly developed an online training on Gender and Disarmament.

The online course is divided into two modules:

• The first module introduces the concepts and normative frameworks on gender, disarmament and arms control, and explains why disarmament and gender matter to sustainable development. It highlights the need for gender-responsive disarmament and arms control because of the gendered impacts arms have and explains how gender norms and roles underpin conflict and decision-making processes.

• The second module focuses on the role women can and should play in disarmament and arms control.

The course is available free of charge, and can be accessed here. It has been designed for policy-makers and advocates wishing to learn more about the relevance of gender-responsive disarmament and arms control, though general audiences will also benefit from the course.

The course is currently available in English. French and Spanish versions will follow shortly on the UN Women Training Center website.

The development of the course was funded by UNSCAR.

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New technologies: next steps at the United Nations

Since adoption, under the UN Programme of Action on small arms, of the International Tracing Instrument (ITI) in 2005, weapon design and production methods have emerged that could have consequences for global efforts to combat the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons. Since 2011, States have discussed how non-traditional materials, such as polymers, and modularity in weapon design have the potential to alter marking, tracing and recordkeeping.

In 2018, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to make recommendations on ways to address the challenges and opportunities presented by these developments (A/RES/73/69).

Through his annual report on “The illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects” (A/74/187), the Secretary-General now provides a list of elements that could serve as a basis for a supplementary annex to the ITI. These elements are intended to help take forward the recommendation from 2014 for States to discuss a supplementary document to the ITI that would reflect the implications of recent technical developments, while ensuring the full effectiveness of the Instrument moving forward.

The Secretary-General invites States to make use of the forthcoming seventh Biennial Meeting of States in 2020 (15-19 June) to undertake focused deliberations on concluding such a supplementary annex.

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THEMES

NGOs and national coordinating mechanisms: what could be their role?

Many countries include representatives of civil society in their national coordinating mechanism for the implementation of the UN Programme of Action on small arms, or their national coordinating mechanism consults them regularly (see MOSAIC 03.40: National coordinating mechanisms on small arms and light weapons control).

UNSCAR has supported and catalyzed cooperation and dialogue between local civil-society organizations and national authorities, from Cameroon, Ghana and Guatemala, to Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines and Sierra Leone.

The International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) has launched a survey on the participation of civil-society representatives and women in national coordination mechanisms on small arms. Are you currently a National Point of Contact (NPC)? Then kindly fill out this survey by 31 October 2019, to help IANSA complete this UNSCAR-funded research.

Access survey here.

IANSA is the official coordinator of civil society in the UN small-arms process.

Note that the information will be used only to identify good practices of inclusion, not to criticize any government. If you have any questions about the survey, please direct them to IANSA at rose.welsch@iansa.org.

This project is of course separate from the official national reporting on the implementation of the UN Programme of Action which countries submit every two years. UNODA will inform States of the procedure for the upcoming national report (covering 2018-2019), to be submitted in the first half of 2020.

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Peace operations: adequate weapons and ammunition management

Peacekeeping remains one of the United Nations’ most effective tools to promote and maintain international peace and security. Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) activities are often a part of United Nations peace operations and are vital to laying the groundwork for long-lasting peace, security and development.

To support innovative approaches by DDR practitioners, the UN’s Department of Peace Operations (DPO) and the Office for Disarmament Affairs (ODA) work together on “Weapons and Ammunition Management in a Changing Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Context”.

The initiative seeks to develop resources and expertise, including through a practical handbook (available in English and French) and training course, to enable DDR practitioners to design and implement weapons and ammunition management activities that are in line with the highest international standards and guidelines, namely the Modular Small-arms control Implementation Compendium (MOSAIC) and the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG).

The joint initiative will also support the provision of technical assistance in peace operation settings. Between 28 July and 6 August 2019, DPO and ODA deployed a first technical assessment mission to the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH). The mission focused on weapons and ammunition management activities that could support community violence reduction and DDR initiatives in Haiti.

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Selected modules from the Modular Small-arms-control Implementation Compendium (MOSAIC):

MOSAIC is a set of voluntary practical guidance notes on the full range of small arms control measures, organized into 24 modules. We have highlighted six of these 24 modules in the two previous issues of the Bulletin, covering the setting up national coordinating mechanisms; stockpile management; conducting small arms survey; improving national manufacturing controls; designing and implementing a national action plan; and tracing illicit small arms and light weapons. In this issue, we will focus on the modules on improving national controls over international transfers; designing and implementing community safety programming; and marking and record-keeping.

Improving national controls over international transfers

Ammunition: 2020 GGE and IATG review

2020 Group of Governmental Experts

In resolution 72/55, the General Assembly encouraged open, informal consultations focusing on conventional-ammunition management. In the same resolution, it also requested the Secretary-General to convene a group of governmental experts (GGE) on “problems arising from the accumulation of conventional ammunition stockpiles in surplus” in 2020 taking into account the discussions in the open, informal consultations.

Such informal consultations were held in 2018 and 2019, with particular focus on the dual challenges of unplanned explosions at munition sites and the diversion of munitions to unauthorized recipients.

The Secretary-General will convene the GGE for three sessions – in January, April and July 2020. The GGE’s report will be taken up by the seventy-fifth session of the General Assembly.

International Ammunition Technical Guidelines

The 2020 GGE will be the second on the topic of conventional ammunition. A 2008 GGE submitted a comprehensive report on the problems arising from the accumulation of conventional stockpiles in surplus, concluding that problems from accumulation of surplus are largely the result of inadequate stockpile management policies and practice.

In taking up the specific recommendation of the GGE, the General Assembly requested the United Nations to develop guidelines for adequate ammunition management. In response, the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG) were developed in 2011 and the UN SaferGuard Programme was established as the corresponding knowledge management platform.

The IATG are reviewed and updated, at a minimum, every five years to reflect evolving ammunition stockpile management norms and practices, and to incorporate changes due to changing international regulations and requirements. The latest version of the IATG was published in 2015.

With the support of a Technical Review Board composed of selected national technical experts and a corresponding Strategic Coordination Group comprised of expert organizations, the UN SaferGuard Programme is currently in the process of updating the IATG. IATG version 3 will be completed in 2020.

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How the World Customs Organization works on small-arms control

The World Customs Organization WCO initiated its Small Arms Strategy in 2015 to support Customs administrations implement the Arms Trade Treaty (2013).

In 2017 the WCO developed a Small Arms and Light Weapons training curriculum delivering a small-arms ‘train‐the‐trainer package’ designed to provide sustainable training for front-line customs officers in the detection and prosecution of illicit small arms detected at the border.

The training covers elements such as risk management, licensing and end-user certification, identification and physical examination, and forensic handling techniques. The training has been successfully delivered in a number of locations and materials are provided to member administrations to incorporate into their own national training programmes.

Elements of the training are also available through the WCO online learning portal, which is available to customs officers from all member administrations. In addition, as a part of the wider WCO Security Programme, the WCO can also conduct assessment missions and provide capacity building for policy makers and senior managers in relation to small-arms detection.

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INTERPOL: the value of decentralized access to INTERPOL’s arms database “I-24/7”

INTERPOL provides a number of tools to help law enforcement agencies across the world address firearms crimes:

• INTERPOL Illicit Arms Records and tracing Management System (iARMS). This is the only global database containing records of lost, stolen, trafficked/smuggled firearms. It also serves as a platform for the international tracing of firearms, providing investigative leads on the last legal owner of the firearm, information on trafficking routes and the criminal organizations involved.

• INTERPOL Firearms Reference Table (IFRT). Embedded within the iARMS database, IFRT provides a standard framework for identifying and describing firearms. Containing references and images of firearms, IFRT enables investigators to obtain and verify details such as make, model, caliber, country of origin and serial number

These tools are available through INTERPOL’s secure communication network, known as I-24/7, that links all 194 member countries via their INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB). In order to fully benefit from these databases, NCBs are encouraged to extend iARMS to:

• Firearms record-keeping agencies: Key actors in the tracing of illicit firearms, these agencies are responsible for firearms registration and maintaining records of firearms that have been declared as lost and stolen.
• Law-enforcement agencies: It is imperative that frontline investigators obtain all possible leads from recovered firearms. While IFRT will help officers to accurately identify seized firearms, iARMS will allow them to trace the firearms in view of obtaining intelligence leads about the diversion of the firearm into the illicit market.
• Specialized units dealing with firearms-related crimes: iARMS enables the development of intelligence and analysis regarding illicit firearms at a national level. Therefore, specialized units such as firearms focal points can extract leads on trafficking routes and criminal organizations and pinpoint deficiencies in firearms chain of custody.

The value of iARMS depends on its widespread and systematic use by member countries. It is crucial that as many relevant agencies as possible have access to iARMS and IFRT to ensure that investigative leads are gathered and are retrievable whenever necessary, and to facilitate the prompt exchange of information on time-sensitive investigations.

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Assistance in Latin America and the Caribbean

UNLIREC forms part of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs in New York. Its main function is to support States in achieving and maintaining peace and security through disarmament, arms control and WMD non-proliferation. UNLIREC operates out of Lima, Peru, with 33 States in the Latin American and Caribbean region forming part of its geographical mandate. For more information, please access: www.unlirec.org.

Mitigating illicit trafficking in arms and ammunition

UNLIREC is working with screening officials from Central and South America to improve the detection of illicit shipments of arms and ammunition through entry/exit points, including airports, and courier and penitentiary services. Crucial to this teaching effort is an UNLIREC-developed x-ray identification guide. It contains descriptions and technical specifications of weapons, as well as guidance to detect innovative concealment methods used by traffickers.

UNLIREC also helps States design adequate policy responses to combat ammunition proliferation. That’s why we deliver a series of national workshops for policy makers on ammunition controls in Central and South America.

Meanwhile, with a view to supporting Central American and Caribbean States to implement the Arms Trade Treaty, UNLIREC delivered diversion prevention training and guidance on how to establish a national control authority responsible for international arms transfers.

Improving small-arms tracing capacity

To further harmonize and enhance tracing capabilities in line with the International Tracing Instrument (ITI), UNLIREC increased the capacity of Caribbean firearms examiners to present reliable ballistic evidence in courts of law. State-of-the-art equipment was donated to forensic laboratories to improve the quality management of evidence and casework

Fostering prevention of violence against women through arms control

 UNLIREC worked with Latin American States to implement gender-sensitive approaches to armed-violence reduction, as well as to empower women to advance the disarmament and arms control agenda. Activities are in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development—in particular Target 5.2 on eliminating all forms of violence against all women and girls and Target 16.4 on reducing illicit arms flows—and General Assembly resolution 65/69.

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

UNSCAR trust fund: matching needs with resources

United Nations Trust Facility Supporting Cooperation on Arms Regulation (UNSCAR) is a small-scale, quick-impact funding mechanism in partnership with civil society organizations, regional organizations and UN entities. Donors have significant ownership of the fund: they select the best proposals.

Since its inception, UNSCAR provided financial support for 80 projects, from ammunition depot improvements to bringing grass-roots NGOs to UN meetings, to training local gun smiths to manufacture agricultural tools instead of weaponry. Over 140 States have benefited directly or indirectly from the activities funded by UNSCAR.

This year, UNSCAR received 57 applications. Donors will decide in October. All applicants will be informed of the result of the selection result in November. Successful projects will be implemented from January/February 2020 for one year.

UNSCAR is a proven success. States are still welcome to contribute to it – so that even more projects can be funded.

Visit www.un.org/disarmament/unscar to find out more about the UNSCAR trust fund and how your country can benefit or contribute

Current funding partners

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SALIENT: update 

As highlighted in previous issues of the Bulletin, the establishment of a dedicated facility to ensure sustained financing for coordinated, integrated small-arms control measures in most-affected countries is underway. Thanks to the joint efforts of UNODA and UNDP, in close cooperation with the Peacebuilding Support Office, the Saving Lives Entity, or “SALIENT” expects to initiate pilot projects in 2020. The fund will be launched at a side event at UN Headquarters on 24 October 2019.

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CONNECT

• National Points of Contact / National Coordination Agencies for the Programme of Action
• United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA)
• Regional Centres for disarmament
• United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)
• UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
• UNODC regional centres / offices
• SEESAC (South-Eastern & Eastern Europe)

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Lors de la conférence d’examen des Nations Unies sur les armes légères et de petit calibre de 2018, les gouvernements ont convenu d’utiliser des points de contact nationaux pour renforcer l’échange d’informations et d’autres formes de coopération internationale. Ce bulletin répond à cette demande.

Notre objectif est d’informer les autorités nationales tous les six mois sur les bonnes pratiques en matière de contrôle des armes légères et sur les derniers développements pertinents au sein des Nations Unies, afin que ces autorités aient accès aux méthodes et politiques les plus efficaces et les mieux testées.

Si vous, en tant que responsable national travaillant pour un contrôle efficace des armes légères, pouvez facilement récupérer des outils et des informations de pointe, cela contribuera à l’objectif de «désarmement qui sauve des vies»: l’objectif clé de la réglementation des armes classiques dans “l’Agenda pour le désarmement” du Secrétaire général de l’ONU.

ACTUALITÉS

Assemblée générale des Nations Unies: la 74e session

En Septembre, les États Membres se sont réunis pour l’ouverture de la 74e session de l’Assemblée générale. Le débat annuel de haut niveau s’est tenu du 24 au 30 Septembre. Les chefs d’État, les chefs de gouvernement et d’autres hautes autorités ont pris la parole lors de la nouvelle session de l’Assemblée sur le thème de cette année : «Dynamiser les efforts multilatéraux pour l’élimination de la pauvreté, une éducation de qualité, l’inclusion et le changement climatique».

A l’issue du débat de haut niveau, la Première Commission de l’Assemblée générale se réunira pendant cinq semaines, du 7 Octobre au 8 Novembre, pour examiner des questions spécifiques dans le domaine du désarmement et de la sécurité internationale. Comme à l’accoutumée, un échange thématique consacré aux «armes classiques», y compris les armes légères, constituera un élément clé des discussions.

La résolution annuelle sur «Le commerce illicite des armes légères et de petit calibre sous tous ses aspects» devrait être examinée (A/RES/73/69). La présente résolution devrait tenir compte des résultats de la troisième Conférence d’examen du Programme d’action et de l’Instrument international de traçage de 2018, notamment de la décision de convoquer la réunion biennale des États d’une semaine du 15 au 19 Juin 2020. Les délibérations tiendront compte des recommandations formulées par le Secrétaire Général dans son rapport de 2019 sur la question (A/74/187).

La résolution biennale sur les «Problèmes découlant de l’accumulation de stocks de munitions classiques en surplus» sera également présentée à la présente session et rappellera probablement la demande faite au Secrétaire Général de réunir un groupe d’experts gouvernementaux sur ce sujet en 2020 (A/RES/72/55). Un tel groupe ouvre généralement la voie à l’ONU dans son ensemble pour progresser sur la question qu’elle traite. Pour plus de détails : voir la section sur ‘Munitions’ ci-dessous.

Parmi les autres résolutions relatives aux armes légères et de petit calibre qui sont traditionnellement adoptées sur une base annuelle, on peut citer celles relatives à «l’assistance aux États pour l’arrêt de la circulation illicite et la collecte des armes légères et de petit calibre» (A/73/52) et «Le Traité sur le commerce des armes» (A/RES/73/36).

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Groupe d’experts gouvernementaux sur le Registre des armes classiques des Nations Unies

Le  Registre des armes classiques des Nations Unies (UNROCA) permet aux États Membres de l’ONU de rendre compte de leurs transferts internationaux de sept catégories d’armes classiques. Les gouvernements rendent compte de leurs importations et exportations d’armes et sont également encouragés à rendre compte de leurs acquisitions annuelles d’armes par la production nationale. De plus, ils peuvent déclarer l’ensemble de leurs dotations militaires. L’UNROCA est donc un important instrument de transparence et une mesure de confiance qui peut aider à instaurer la confiance entre les États grâce à l’échange d’informations, contribuant ainsi à la diplomatie préventive, à la paix et à la stabilité.

L’UNROCA est un instrument vivant. Tous les trois ans, un Groupe d’experts gouvernementaux (GEG) examine le fonctionnement et la pertinence de l’UNROCA, ainsi que son évolution future.

A la fin du mois de Juin dernier, le dernier Groupe d’experts gouvernementaux sur l’UNROCA a achevé ses travaux et adopté un rapport par consensus.

Le groupe était composé d’experts – femmes et hommes à parts égales – d’Afrique du Sud, d’Allemagne, d’Argentine, du Brésil, de Chine, de Croatie, de France, d’Inde, du Japon, des Pays-Bas, de Russie, du Sénégal, de Singapour, des États-Unis et du Royaume-Uni. La Présidente, Mme Mariela Fogante (Argentine), a été la première femme à présider un groupe d’experts dans le domaine des armes classiques depuis 1999.

Le présent rapport du Groupe d’experts gouvernementaux de 2019 contient un certain nombre de recommandations visant à faire en sorte que le Registre demeure pertinent et suive l’évolution technologique.

Deux faits saillants:

Ce Groupe a franchi une étape importante en recommandant que les États Membres de l’ONU fassent rapport sur les transferts internationaux d’armes légères et de petit calibre en même temps que sur les sept principaux systèmes d’armes (chars de bataille, véhicules blindés, grosse artillerie, avions de combat aérien avec ou sans pilote, hélicoptères d’attaque, navires de guerre, missiles et lance-missiles);

Le rapport comprend une section consacrée à l’utilisation de l’UNROCA comme outil de renforcement de la confiance.

Le rapport du Groupe peut être consulté à l’adresse suivante: https://undocs.org/fr/A/74/211.

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Traité sur le commerce des armes: Cinquième Conférence des États Parties

La  Cinquième Conférence des États Parties (CEP5) au Traité sur le commerce des armes (TCA) s’est tenue du 26 au 30 Août 2019 à Genève. La Conférence était présidée par l’Ambassadeur de Lettonie, Jānis Kārkliņš, qui avait proposé que le genre et la violence sexiste dans le contexte du TCA constituent un thème prioritaire de la Conférence.

Le Traité, qui est entré en vigueur en 2014, compte désormais 105 États parties, qui se sont engagés à appliquer des normes communes dans le commerce international des armes classiques et des munitions.

Le CEP5 a adopté un rapport final contenant des recommandations et des décisions sur le genre et la violence sexiste, le Fonds de contributions volontaires pour le TCA et l’application effective du Traité. Les États ont également reconnu l’importance de l’adhésion universelle au Traité et souligné l’importance de la transparence et de l’établissement de rapports.

Le CEP5 a également décidé de tenir sa prochaine session annuelle officielle, la sixième Conférence des États parties, à Genève (Suisse) du 17 au 21 Août 2020. L’Ambassadeur Carlos Foradori d’Argentine a été élu Président de la Conférence 2020.

Plus d’informations:

• Déclaration liminaire de la Haute Représentante des Nations Unies pour les affaires de désarmement, Izumi Nakamitsu, à la CEP5 
• Document officieux sur le genre et la violence basée sur le genre par le Président de la CEP5, l’Ambassadeur Kārkliņš
• Observations de la Haute Représentante des Nations Unies pour les affaires de désarmement sur le genre et la violence basée sur le genre
• Documents de la conférence, y compris le rapport final

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Formation en ligne sur le genre et le désarmement

Le Centre de formation de l’ONU Femmes, le Bureau des Nations Unies pour les affaires de désarmement (UNODA) et la section Femmes, Paix et Sécurité d’ONU Femmes ont conjointement développé une formation en ligne sur la dimension de genre du désarmement.

Le cours en ligne se divise en deux modules :

• Le premier module présente les concepts et les cadres normatifs du genre, du désarmement et du contrôle des armes, en plus d’expliquer pourquoi le désarmement et la dimension du genre sont importants pour le développement durable. Il souligne le besoin d’un désarmement et d’un contrôle des armes qui tiennent compte du genre, en raison des conséquences sexospécifiques des armes, et explique en quoi les normes et rôles liés au genre sous-tendent les conflits et processus de prise de décisions.

• Le second module se concentre sur le rôle que les femmes peuvent et devraient jouer dans le désarmement et le contrôle des armes.

Le cours est disponible gratuitement et consultable ici. Il a été élaboré pour les décideurs et les défenseurs désireux d’en savoir plus sur la pertinence du désarmement et du contrôle des armes tenant compte des problématiques liées au genre, même si le grand public en bénéficiera également.

La formation est actuellement disponible en anglaise. Les versions française et espagnol seront bientôt disponibles sur le site du Centre de formation d’ONU Femmes.

L’élaboration de la formation a été financée par UNSCAR.

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Nouvelles technologies: Prochaines étapes aux Nations Unies

Depuis l’adoption, dans le cadre du Programme d’action des Nations Unies sur les armes légères, de l’Instrument international de traçage (ITI) en 2005, des méthodes de conception et de production d’armes sont apparues. Celles-ci pourraient avoir des conséquences sur les efforts mondiaux de lutte contre le commerce illicite des armes légères et de petit calibre. Depuis 2011, les États examinent comment les matériaux non traditionnels, tels que les polymères, et la modularité de la conception des armes peuvent modifier le marquage, le traçage et la tenue des registres.

En 2018, l’Assemblée générale a prié le Secrétaire Général de faire des recommandations sur les moyens de relever les défis et de tirer parti des possibilités offertes par cette évolution (A/RES/73/69).

Dans son rapport annuel sur «Le commerce illicite des armes légères et de petit calibre sous tous ses aspects» (A/74/187), le Secrétaire Général présente maintenant une liste d’éléments qui pourraient servir de base à une annexe supplémentaire à l’ITI. Ces éléments sont destinés à faire avancer la recommandation de 2014 visant à ce que les États examinent un document complémentaire à l’ITI qui refléterait les implications des récentes évolutions techniques, tout en assurant la pleine efficacité de l’instrument pour l’avenir.

Le Secrétaire Général fournit des éléments susceptibles d’être inclus dans l’annexe supplémentaire, y compris, des considérations générales, des définitions, marquage et la tenue des registres ainsi que des mesures de suivi. Il invite les États à mettre à profit la septième Réunion biennale des États qui se tiendra en 2020 (15-19 Juin) pour entreprendre des délibérations ciblées sur la conclusion de cette annexe supplémentaire.

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THÈMES

ONGs et méchanismes nationaux de coordination: Quel pourrait être leur rôle?

De nombreux pays incluent des représentants de la société civile dans leur mécanisme national de coordination pour la mise en œuvre du Programme d’action des Nations Unies sur les armes légères, ou leur mécanisme national de coordination les consulte régulièrement (voir  MOSAIC 03.40 : Mécanismes nationaux de coordination pour le contrôle des armes légères et de petit calibre).

Le fonds fiduciaire des Nations Unies visant à soutenir la coopération en matière de règlementation des armes (UNSCAR) a soutenu et catalysé la coopération et le dialogue entre les organisations locales de la société civile et les autorités nationales du Cameroun, Ghana   Guatemala, au Kirghizistan, Philippines et en Sierra Leone.

Le Réseau d’action international sur les armes légères (IANSA) a lancé une enquête sur la participation des représentants de la société civile et des femmes aux mécanismes nationaux de coordination sur les armes légères. Êtes-vous actuellement un point de contact national (NPC) ? Alors, merci de bien vouloir remplir ce questionnaire avant le 31 octobre 2019, afin d’aider l’IANSA à mener à bien cette recherche financée par l’UNSCAR.

Accédez à l’enquête ici.

L’IANSA est le coordinateur officiel de la société civile dans le processus des Nations Unies sur les armes légères.

Veuillez noter que l’information ne sera utilisée que pour identifier les bonnes pratiques d’inclusion et non pour critiquer un gouvernement. Si vous avez des questions relatives à l’enquête, veuillez les adresser à IANSA à rose.welsch@iansa.org.

Ce projet est bien entendu distinct des rapports nationaux officiels sur la mise en œuvre du Programme d’action des Nations Unies que les pays soumettent tous les deux ans. Le Bureau informera les États de la procédure à suivre pour le prochain rapport national (couvrant la période 2018-2019), qui sera présenté au cours du premier semestre de 2020.

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Opérations de paix: gestion adéquate des armes et des munitions

Le maintien de la paix demeure l’un des outils les plus efficaces des Nations Unies pour promouvoir et maintenir la paix et la sécurité internationale. Les activités de désarmement, démobilisation et réintégration (DDR) font souvent partie des opérations de paix des Nations Unies et sont essentielles pour jeter les bases d’une paix, d’une sécurité et d’un développement durable.

Pour soutenir les approches novatrices des praticiens du DDR, le Département des opérations de paix (DPO) de l’ONU  et le Bureau pour les affaires de désarmement (ODA) travaillent ensemble sur «La gestion des armes et des munitions dans un contexte changeant de désarmement, démobilisation et réintégration».

L’initiative vise à développer les ressources et l’expertise, notamment par le biais d’un manuel pratique (disponible en  anglais et en français) et d’une formation, afin de permettre aux praticiens du DDR de concevoir et de mettre en œuvre des activités de gestion des armes et des munitions conformes aux normes et directives internationales les plus élevées, à savoir le  Compendium modulaire pour la mise en œuvre du contrôle des armes légères (MOSAIC) et les Directives techniques internationales pour les munitions (DTIM).

L’initiative conjointe appuiera également la fourniture d’une assistance technique dans le cadre des opérations de paix. Entre le 28 Juillet et le 6 Août 2019, le DPO et l’ODA ont déployé une première mission d’évaluation technique auprès de la Mission d’appui des Nations Unies à la justice en Haïti (MINUJUSTH). La mission s’est concentrée sur les activités de gestion des armes et des munitions qui pourraient appuyer les initiatives de réduction de la violence communautaire et de DDR en Haïti.

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EN TITRE

Modules sélectionnés de MOSAIC:

MOSAIC est un ensemble de notes d’orientation pratiques volontaires sur l’ensemble des mesures de contrôle des armes légères, organisées en 24 modules. Dans les deux numéros précédents du Bulletin, nous avons mis l’accent sur six de ces 24 modules, portant sur la  mise en place de mécanismes nationaux de coordination, la  gestion des stocks, la  réalisation d’enquêtes sur les armes légères, l’amélioration des contrôles nationaux de fabrication, la  conception et la mise en œuvre d’un plan d’action national et le traçage des armes légères et de petit calibre illicites. Dans ce numéro, nous nous concentrerons sur les modules portant sur l’amélioration des contrôles nationaux des transferts internationaux, la conception et la mise en œuvre de programmes de sécurité communautaire, le marquage et la tenue de dossiers.

Amélioration des contrôles nationaux sur les transferts internationaux 

Munition: GEG 2020 et révision des DTIM

Le Groupe d’experts gouvernementaux 2020

Dans sa résolution 72/55, l’Assemblée Générale a recommandé la réalisation de débats et consultations ouvertes portant sur la gestion des munitions conventionnelles. Cette même résolution demandait également au Secrétaire Générale la convocation, en 2020, d’un Groupe d’experts gouvernementaux (GEG) sur «les problèmes découlant de l’accumulation des stocks de munitions conventionnelles excédentaires», en tenant compte des débats et consultations ouvertes.

Ces consultations informelles se sont tenues entre 2018 et 2019, et mettent principalement l’accent sur le double défi que présentent les explosions imprévues sur les sites de munitions et le détournement de munitions vers des bénéficiaires non-autorisés.

Le Secrétaire Général convoquera le GEG lors de trois sessions, à savoir, janvier, avril et juillet 2020. Le rapport du GEG sera examiné lors de la soixante-quinzième session de l’Assemblée Générale.

Directives techniques internationales sur les munitions

Le GEG de 2020 sera le second groupe portant sur les munitions conventionnelles. Le GEG de 2008 avait soumis un rapport détaillé sur les problèmes découlant de l’accumulation des stocks de munitions classiques en surplus, concluant ainsi que les problèmes posés par l’accumulation excédentaire sont en grande partie dus à des politiques et pratiques de gestion des stocks inadéquates.

En reprenant la recommandation spécifique du GEG, l’Assemblée Générale a demandé à l’ONU d’élaborer des lignes directrices pour une gestion adéquate des munitions. En réponse, les Directives techniques internationales sur les munitions (DTIM) ont été élaborées en 2011 et le programme SaferGuard des Nations Unies a été établi en tant que plateforme de gestion des connaissances correspondantes.

Les DTIM sont révisées et mises à jour tous les cinq ans minimums, afin de rendre compte de l’évolution des normes et pratiques concernant la gestion des stocks de munitions, et d’intégrer des modifications dues à l’évolution de la réglementation et des exigences internationales. La dernière version des DTIM a été publiée en 2015.

Avec le soutien du Bureau d’examen technique, composé d’experts techniques nationaux sélectionnés, et du Groupe de coordination stratégique correspondant, réunissant des organisations d’experts, le programme SaferGuard des Nations Unies entreprend actuellement la mise à jour des DTIM, dont la 3^ème version sera achevée en 2020.

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Comment l’Organisation mondiale des douanes travaille sur le contrôle des armes légères

L’Organisation Mondiale des Douanes (OMD) a lancé sa Stratégie sur les armes légères en 2015 pour aider les administrations douanières à appliquer  le Traité sur le commerce des armes (2013).

En 2017, l’OMD a mis au point un Programme de formation sur les armes légères et de petit calibre, comprenant un programme de « formation des formateurs » conçu pour former durablement les agents de douane de première ligne à la détection et à la répression des armes légères illicites détectées aux frontières.

La formation couvre, entre autres, la gestion des risques, l’octroi d’autorisation et l’accréditation de l’utilisateur final, l’identification et l’examen physique, ainsi que les techniques de traitement judiciaire. La formation a ainsi été dispensée avec succès dans un certain nombre d’endroits, et du matériel est fourni aux administrations membres afin de l’intégrer à leurs propres programmes de formation nationaux.

Des éléments de la formation sont également disponibles sur la plateforme en ligne de l’OMD, mis à la disposition des agents de douanes de toutes les administrations membres. De plus, dans le cadre du Programme de sécurité de l’OMD, l’organisation peut également effectuer des missions d’évaluation et renforcer les capacités des décideurs et cadres supérieurs en matière de détection des armes légères.

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INTERPOL: L’importance de l’accès décentralisé aux bases de données d’INTERPOL sur les armes «l-24/7»

INTERPOL fournit un certain nombre d’outils pour aider les organes de répression du monde entier à lutter contre la criminalité liée à l’utilisation d’armes à feu:

• Système de gestion des données sur les armes illicites et du traçage des armes d’INTERPOL (iARMS). Il s’agit là de la seule base de données mondiale rassemblant des informations sur les armes à feu perdues, volées et trafiquées/passées en contrebande. Il sert également de plateforme pour le traçage international des armes à feu, en fournissant des pistes de recherche concernant le dernier détenteur légal de l’arme à feu, des informations sur les routes de trafic et les organisations criminelles impliquées.

• Tableau d’INTERPOL de référence des armes à feu (IFRT). Intégré à la base de données iARMS, l’IFRT offre un cadre standard d’identification et de description des armes à feu. Au vu des références et des photographies des armes à feu qu’il contient, l’IFRT permet aux enquêteurs d’obtenir et de vérifier des détails, tels que la marque, le modèle, le calibre, le pays d’origine et le numéro de série.

Ces outils sont disponibles sur le réseau de communication sécurisé d’INTERPOL, I-24/7, qui relie les 194 pays membres via leur Bureau Central National d’INTERPOL (BCN). Afin de tirer pleinement parti de ces bases de données, les BCN sont encouragés à étendre l’iARMS aux :

• Organismes d’enregistrement des armes à feu : acteurs clés dans le traçage des armes à feu illicites, ces organismes sont responsables de l’enregistrement des armes à feu et de la tenue à jour des registres des armes déclarées perdues ou volées.
• Organismes de répression : il est impératif que les enquêteurs de première ligne disposent de toutes les pistes possibles concernant les armes à feu récupérées. Tandis que l’IFRT aidera les agents à identifier les armes à feu saisies avec précision, l’iARMS leur permettra de les localiser en vue d’obtenir des renseignements sur les armes à feu qui ont été détournées vers le marché noir .
• Unités spécialisées dans les crimes liés aux armes à feu : L’iARMS permet le développement de renseignements et d’analyses concernant les armes à feu illicites au niveau national. Par conséquent, les unités spéciales, tels que les centres de coordination sur les armes à feu, peuvent soutirer des pistes sur les routes de trafic et les organisations criminelles, et ainsi identifier des failles dans la chaîne de traçabilité des armes à feu.

La pertinence de l’iARMS dépend de son usage généralisé et systématique par les pays membres. Il est fondamental que le plus grand nombre d’organismes concernés aient accès à l’iARMS et à l’IFRT, afin de s’assurer que les pistes d’enquête sont rassemblées et consultables lorsque cela est nécessaire, et de faciliter des échanges d’informations rapides sur des enquêtes urgentes.

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Aide en Amérique Latine et aux Caraïbes

UNLIREC fait partie du Bureau des affaires de désarmement des Nations Unies à New York. Sa principale fonction est d’aider les États à instaurer et maintenir la paix et la sécurité par le désarmement, le contrôle des armes et la non-prolifération des armes de destructions massives. L’UNLIREC opère depuis Lima, au Pérou, avec 33 États en Amérique Latine et aux Caraïbes faisant partie de son mandat géographique. Pour plus d’informations, veuillez consulter : www.unlirec.org.

Réduire le trafic illicite d’armes et de munitions

L’UNLIREC travaille avec des fonctionnaires habilités à réaliser des examens en Amérique Centrale et du Sud afin d’améliorer la détection d’envois illicites d’armes et de munitions aux points d’entrée et de sortie, y compris les aéroports, les services de messagerie et les services pénitentiaires. Le guide d’identification par rayons X développé par l’UNLIREC est crucial pour cet effort d’enseignement. Il contient des descriptions d’armes et indique leurs spécificités techniques, en plus de fournir des conseils pour détecter les méthodes de dissimulation innovantes employées par les trafiquants.

L’UNLIREC aide également les États à concevoir des mesures appropriées pour lutter contre la prolifération des munitions. C’est pourquoi nous organisons une série d’ateliers nationaux destinés aux décideurs et portant sur le contrôle des munitions en Amérique Centrale et en Amérique du Sud.

Parallèlement, dans le dessein de soutenir les États d’Amérique Centrale et des Caraïbes dans la mise en œuvre du Traité de commerce des armes, l’UNLIREC a dispensé une formation sur la prévention du détournement et a donné des indications quant à la manière d’établir une autorité nationale de contrôle chargée des transferts d’armes internationaux.

Améliorer la capacité de traçage des armes de petit calibre

Afin de poursuivre l’harmonisation et l’augmentation des capacités de traçage, conformément à l’Instrument international de traçage, l’UNLIREC a renforcé la compétence des examinateurs d’armes à feu aux Caraïbes pour présenter des preuves balistiques fiables devant les tribunaux. Du matériel de pointe a été donné à des laboratoires de police scientifique afin d’améliorer la qualité de la gestion des preuves et de l’étude des dossiers.

Encourager la prévention de la violence contre les femmes au travers du contrôle des armes

L’UNLIREC a travaillé avec des États latino-américains pour traiter la réduction de la violence armée avec une approche sexospécifique et permettre aux femmes de faire avancer le programme de désarmement et de contrôle des armes. Les activités s’inscrivent dans la logique de l’Agenda pour le développement durable 2030 – notamment de l’objectif 5.2 sur l’élimination de toutes les formes de violence faites aux femmes et aux filles et de l’objectif 16.4 sur la réduction des flux d’armes illicites – et à la Résolution 65/69 de l’Assemblée Générale.

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OPPORTUNITÉS DE FINANCEMENT

Fonds d’affectation spéciale de l’UNSCAR: Faire correspondre les besoins aux ressources

Le Mécanisme de financement des Nations Unies pour la coopération en matière de réglementation des armements (UNSCAR) est un mécanisme de financement à petite échelle et impact rapide, en partenariat avec les organisations de la société civile, les organisations régionales et les agences de l’ONU. Les donateurs exercent une titularité importante sur les fonds : ils sélectionnent les meilleures propositions.

Depuis sa création, UNSCAR apporte un soutien financier à 80 projets, des améliorations apportées au dépôt de munitions pour amener des ONG locales aux réunions de l’ONU, à la formation de forgerons locaux afin qu’ils fabriquent des outils agricoles plutôt que des armes. Plus de 140 États ont directement ou indirectement bénéficié des activités financées par l’UNSCAR.

Cette année, UNSCAR a reçu 57 projets. La sélection des donateurs se tiendra en octobre. Tous les candidats seront informés des résultats de la sélection en novembre. Les projets choisis seront mis en œuvre à partir de janvier/février 2020, pour une durée d’un an.

L’UNSCAR s’est avéré être un succès. Les États sont toujours invités à contribuer, afin que de plus en plus de projets soient financés.

Visitez https://disarmament.unoda.org/unscar/ pour plus d’informations sur le mécanisme de financement UNSCAR et découvrir comment votre pays peut y contribuer ou en bénéficier.

Partenaires financiers actuels

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SALIENT: Mise à jour

Comme souligné dans la précédente édition du Bulletin, la mise en place d’un mécanisme dédie à garantir un financement durable pour les mesures de contrôle des armes de petit calibre coordonnées et intégrées dans les pays les plus touchés est en cours. Grâce aux efforts conjoints de l’UNODA et du PNUD, en étroite collaboration avec le Bureau d’appui à la consolidation de la paix, l’entité «Sauver des vies» (Saving-Lives Entity), ou «SALIENT», espère lancer des projets pilotes en 2020. Le fond sera inauguré lors d’un événement parallèle au siège des Nations Unies le 24 octobre 2019.

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INTERVENANTS

• Tous les points de contact nationaux / mécanismes nationaux de coordination pour le Programme d’action
• Bureau des affaires de désarmement des Nations Unies (UNODA)
• Centres régionaux de désarmement
• Institut des Nations Unies pour la recherche sur le désarmement (UNIDIR)
• Office des Nations Unies contre la drogue et le crime (UNODC)
• Centres / bureaux régionaux de UNODC
• SEESAC (Europe du Sud-Est et de l’Est)

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At the 2018 UN small arms review conference, governments agreed to use national points of contact to strengthen the exchange of information and other forms of international cooperation. This bulletin fills that gap.

We aim to inform national authorities every six months on good practices in small arms control and the latest developments in the United Nations, so that they have access to the most authoritative and tested methods and policies.

If you, as a national official working on effective small arms control, are easily able to retrieve state-of-the-art tools and information, this will contribute to the goal of ‘disarmament saving lives’: the key objective on conventional arms regulation in the UN Secretary-General’s ‘Disarmament Agenda’.

NEWS

United Nations General Assembly: Outcome of the 73rd Session

The General Assembly endorsed the outcome of the 2018 Third Review Conference under the UN Programme of Action on small arms, which includes solid progress on national reporting, international assistance and information sharing. The outcome document also includes progressive language on gender-related topics, both mainstreamed throughout the document and in a specific section on the impacts of the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons on women, men, girls and boys. The document also welcomes the establishment by the Secretary-General of a dedicated trust fund for improved small arms control, the Saving Lives Entity (“SALIENT”).

States decided to convene the next Biennial Meeting of States in 2020 for a one-week period. The Meeting will consider key challenges and opportunities related to the implementation of the Programme of Action and International Tracing Instrument with a view to preventing and combating diversion and illicit international transfers to unauthorized recipients.

The Biennial Meeting is tentatively scheduled to be held 15-19 June 2020 in New York.

Other resolutions adopted on conventional arms included those dedicated to the Arms Trade Treaty (A/RES/73/36), the Convention on Cluster Munitions (A/RES/73/54), the Anti-Personnel Landmine Convention (A/RES/73/61) and the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (A/RES/73/84). The Assembly also adopted a fourth resolution on combatting the threat posed by improvised explosive devices (A/RES/73/67) as well as texts on confidence-building measures (A/RES/73/51) and illicit arms brokering activities (A/RES/73/63).

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UN Register of Conventional Arms: Deadline for national reports

Report to UNROCA and contribute to the implementation of the SG Disarmament Agenda.

Confidence-building measures are a key theme in the Disarmament Agenda of the Secretary-General. The United Nations Register of Conventional Arms (UNROCA) is an important UN tool to help States build trust and confidence. All countries are expected annually to report to UNROCA. The UN makes the reported information public; all data can be found on www.un.org/disarmament/unroca.

When governments are open about their weapons imports and exports – including on small arms – they signal: we have nothing to hide. All our weapons transfers are undertaken in conformity with the UN Charter. We stand ready to have a dialogue on our choices with anyone interested.

By reporting to UNROCA, your Government contributes to more transparency in armaments and trust-building among States. This makes UNROCA an important instrument for conflict prevention.

The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs stands ready to assist Member States with their submission. Member States may contact conventionalarms-unoda@un.org.

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Gender-mainstreaming SALW control: UNODA kicks off global programme

In her recent articles Let’s not forget: Gender must be at the heart of arms control, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs at the United Nations, Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, reiterated the importance gender considerations have in arms control discussions.

While the increasing international recognition of the issue is encouraging, real change on the ground must follow. This is why the United Nations has launched a multi-year programme in support of gender mainstreamed policies, programmes, and actions in the fight against small arms trafficking and misuse. The programme, funded by the European Union, supports the translation of the commitments States have made at recent Programme of Action on small arms meetings into national action. Such commitments include a call for the full participation and representation of women, a request to ensure coordination between national authorities responsible for the implementation of the Programme of Action and relevant ministries or other national authorities responsible for women’s affairs or gender. Moreover, States agreed to collect sex-disaggregated data and to report regularly on the implementation of those as part of their national reports under the Programme of Action.

Over the next three years, UNODA and its regional centres will collaborate with national small arms commissions and local communities around the world to promote a systematic, gendered approach to small arms control and to empower women to take their seats at the decision-making tables. UNODA will also provide training for staff from regional and sub-regional organizations who deal with small arms control policies and programmes. And it will bring together officials working on small arms with those working on the Women, Peace and Security agenda to take forward issues of common interest.

UNODA will partner with other UN agencies, such as UNDP/SEESAC and UN Women, as well as the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) as civil society partner.

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Secretary-General’s Disarmament Agenda: Implementation Plan and the Sustainable Development Goals

The Secretary-General’s agenda for disarmament “Securing Our Common Future” outlines 40 actions across the entire range of disarmament issues, including weapons of mass destruction, conventional arms, and future weapon technologies. To put the agenda into practice, the United Nations developed an implementation plan which details how various entities in and beyond the United Nations system carry out these 40 actions. Each action has its own page with its main objective, a description of specific steps and activities being carried out, and other relevant information. The implementation plan website is a dynamic platform for monitoring and tracking progress towards achieving the agenda’s actions, as well as for staying abreast of relevant outputs.

The historic 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development places disarmament, arms regulation, peace, and security squarely within the scope of development policies. Goal 16—focusing on promoting peaceful societies, providing access to justice, and building effective institutions—underlines the need to significantly reduce illicit arms flows. The advancement of disarmament and arms control objectives also supports the achievement of other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from health and quality education to gender equality, from economic growth to safe and sustainable cities.

The Secretary-General’s disarmament agenda offers new perspectives on better integrating disarmament and arms control into the United Nation’s work on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

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2030 Agenda: Upcoming High-Level Political Forum and Reviewing Goal 16

The High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) convened by the UN’s Economic and Social Council is the main platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It provides for the full and effective participation of all UN Member States and specialized agencies. The 2019 HLPF will take place from 9 to 18 July (the last 3 days – 16-18 – will be at ministerial level attendance). The theme of the 2019 HLPF will be: “Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality”. The following goals will be reviewed:

Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
Goal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
Goal 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
Goal 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Goal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.

The review mechanism follows a thematic approach allowing participants to examine progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, including cross-cutting issues and interlinkages. Of particular interest for the “Saving Lives” Bulletin readers is the review of Goal 16 and its Target 16.4 which calls for the reduction of illicit flows of arms. In preparation for the review of Goal 16, an International Conference entitled: “Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies: SDG 16 implementation and the path towards leaving no one behind”, will be organized from 27 to 29 May 2019 in Rome, Italy, by the HLPF Preparatory Committee.

For more information visit: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/hlpf/2019/SDG16Conference2019.

For target 16.4 and its Indicator 16.4.2, there is high expectation that the HLPF would boost Member States’ efforts in setting up or strengthening national institutions and measures for effective data collection.

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UN Programme of Action on SALW: States discuss re-design of political process

While progress has been made over the past two decades to address the scourge of small arms and light weapons, much remains to be done. The United Nations Secretary-General has recognized in his Agenda for Disarmament that the lack of implementation of arms control measures is resulting in disastrous consequences. He stresses the need for country-level approaches to the small-arms-and-light-weapons issue. And States themselves have stressed that the Programme of Action (PoA) to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects is very much a nationally-driven process by recognizing that governments bear the primary responsibility for solving the problems associated with the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.

With a view to promoting new ideas on how to revitalize the PoA process and its national implementation. Member States held open-ended, informal consultations in February and March in New York and Geneva. They discussed new multilateral approaches for the PoA process which would shift the focus of UN PoA meetings to better support national efforts and to a multilateral process designed around those national actions. One additional benefit would be that assistance and capacity-building can be provided much better in situations where affected States have clearly identified their national target(s).

During the consultations, many States showed interest and support to further explore such a new angle. Going forward, once the Chair for the Seventh Biennial Meeting of States has been designated (expected in the second half of 2019), further discussions on this issue may take up under her or his leadership.

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THEMES

New Resource: Aide-Memoire on mainstreaming weapons and ammunition management issues into the work of the Security Council

In zones of instability around the world, the negative consequences of the illicit circulation and misuse of conventional weapons and ammunition include outbreaks of renewed conflict, sustained human rights violations and obstacles to sustainable development. Adequate weapons and ammunition management has become a crucial part of the United Nations response to conflict and insecurity.

The Security Council – the organ of the United Nations responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security – has increasingly addressed weapons and ammunition management in recent decades.

Recently, the United Nations produced an Aide-Memoire to assist Member States in accurately and comprehensively reflecting state-of-the-art weapons and ammunition management practices in relevant drafts of the Council’s decisions. The publication also supports the recommendation of the Secretary-General, in his report to the Security Council on small arms from 2015, that the arms situation be consistently considered when addressing both geographic and thematic issues on its agenda (S/2015/289).

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SDG Target 16.4: On significantly reducing arms flows (including prevention of diversion), and data collection

In November 2018, a UN Inter-Agency Expert Group on the Sustainable Development Goals (IAEG-SDG) discussed SDG Indicator 16.4.2 “Proportion of seized, found or surrendered arms whose illicit origin or context has been traced or established by a competent authority in line with international instruments”. The Group decided that the data collected under this indicator is mature enough in order to measure satisfactorily SDG Target 16.4 on the reduction of illicit flows of arms.

A lot of work still needs to be carried out to ensure effectiveness and predictability in the data collection. The two avenues for national officials to provide data are: national reports on the implementation of the UN Programme of Action and its International Tracing Instrument (once every two years), and Illicit Arms Flows Questionnaire (IAFQ). If attaining the SDGs, also in the field of security, is important in your country’s policies, do make sure that your authorities report to both instruments.
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Sustainable Development Goals: Developing national and regional indicators

A lot of attention is being paid to the development and operationalization of global indicators for measuring the SDG’s targets. Well over 200 such indicators exist. States and regional organizations, as well as other entities, are encouraged to develop additional national and regional indicators that can capture other dimensions that would help them to attain each of the goals.

For target 16.4, arms-regulation related national and regional indicators can certainly complement global action. In its SDGs implementation strategy, UNODA has expressed its availability, especially through its Regional Centres, to assist States and regional organizations that are interested in the development of indicators that reflect their particular realities.

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Selected modules from the Modular Small-arms-control Implementation Compendium (MOSAIC):

MOSAIC consists of 24 modules, providing practical guidance on the full range of small arms control measures. In the previous issue of the Bulletin, we highlighted the modules on setting up national coordinating mechanisms; stockpile management; and conducting small arms surveys. In this issue, we will look at the modules on improving national manufacturing controls; designing and implementing a national action plan; and tracing illicit small arms.

Improving national manufacturing controls

Tracing illicit small arms and light weapons

How INTERPOL can assist in a weapons trace

Saving lives by combating illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons is a necessary step to strengthening universal peace in larger freedom, the purpose of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. SDG target 16.4 aims to “significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows,” in unison with INTERPOL’s Global Policing Goal 1.4 to “trace and disrupt financial streams and weapons sourcing.”

To assist its 194 Member States, INTERPOL offers several policing capabilities to assist them in their investigations of firearms trafficking and firearms-related crime.

One such tool, the Illicit Arms Records and tracing Management System (iARMS) facilitates the tracing of recovered illicit/criminal firearms. iARMS is a centralized database containing more than 1.3 million records of lost and stolen firearms from around world, which can be queried to identify when and where a recovered firearm was diverted from legal possession. Should the query not generate a positive result, the user can submit a request to the country of manufacture or country of last legal import to ask for further information about the firearm. INTERPOL provides trainings on the use of the iARMS database and technical assistance to support countries in their tracing activities. At the request of its member States, INTERPOL also communicates with recipient countries of the trace requests in order to encourage them to respond in a prompt manner.

iARMS update:

• The number of iARMS records increased by 555,709 records (69% increase)
• 23,468 new trace requests were submitted (117% increase)
• 477,787 queries (398% increase) were performed. The conducted searches resulted in 288 new international iARMS hits (211% increase)

It is expected that INTERPOL will endeavor to collect from national authorities photos and references of marking practices applied by firearms manufacturers on their territory, firearms import authorities and firearms proof houses. An INTERPOL database on national marking practices will assist professional users in more easily identifying the markings found on recovered weapons.

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Assistance in Asia and the Pacific: A Note from the UN Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament (UNRCPD)

In 2018, UNRCPD trained female representatives of NGOs and members of national parliaments from 12 States in Asia on gender and arms-control issues.

Only months following the workshops, many of the NGOs, as intended, began initiating their own activities on the issues on SALW and gender or on women, peace, and security in their home countries. A similar workshop will also be held for the Pacific as well as a regional seminar for the Asia-Pacific region.

Ammunition: The Centre has so far organized three events as part of its region-wide initiative to support Member States in Asia and the Pacific with the safe and secure management of conventional ammunition. It held two training courses for officials from South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Mongolia, The Centre will carry out a follow-up training workshop on the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG) in the fall of 2019. With these efforts, the Centre is actively involved in realizing the “Saving Lives” pillar of the Secretary General’s Agenda for Disarmament.

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

UNSCAR: Call for proposals opens June 2019

The 2019 Call will be open for 2 months from June to July. Applications should be sent to UNSCAR in accordance with instructions in a 2019 Call document, to be posted on the website at the beginning of June. Eligible applicants are UN entities, regional organizations and civil society organizations.

Member States should have a partnership with an eligible applicant, who submits an application on behalf of a State.

UNSCAR will announce its 2019 Call for Proposals via the UNSCAR website: www.un.org/disarmament/unscar.

United Nations Trust Facility Supporting Cooperation on Arms Regulation (UNSCAR) was established in 2013, 64 projects on an aggregated budget of $9 million have been implemented. Some 140 States have benefited directly or indirectly from the activities funded by UNSCAR. In 2018, an additional 16 proposals were selected: three within the UN system, one regional organization, ten NGOs and two research institutes. Funding of these projects is subject to the conclusion of a financial agreement.

Current funding partners

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New small arms ‘window’ in the Peacebuilding Fund: Saving Lives Entity (SALIENT) Update 

Illicit small arms are a problem that infiltrates nearly every aspect of a society, including public health, security, development, and human rights. They impact gender, border controls, inner-city youth, and maritime safety, to name but a few. The challenge is multi-faceted, and a multi-faceted response is required.

As highlighted in the first issue of the Bulletin, the Secretary-General is establishing a dedicated facility to ensure sustained financing for coordinated, integrated small-arms control measures in most-affected countries. This Saving Lives Entity, or “SALIENT”, recognizes that a dedicated funding window to address these challenges is required and that any programmatic solutions must be both multi-dimensional and integrated into wider development plans.

SALIENT is expected to dedicate a minimum of 50% of its programming to gender-relevant projects.

Initial financial and political support to SALIENT has already been provided by Japan and New Zealand. Other countries have announced that they see the urgency of this kind of work and will contribute. Support is growing, but more is needed. Together with the Peacebuilding Support Office and UNDP, concrete country-level actions are being prepared, with the aim of providing a long-term, sustainable vehicle for action to mitigate the scourge of illicit small arms.

CONNECT

• National Points of Contact / National Coordination Agencies for the Programme of Action
• United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA)
• Regional Centres for disarmament
• United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research
• UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
• UNODC regional centres / offices
• SEESAC (South-Eastern & Eastern Europe)

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At the 2018 UN small arms review conference, governments agreed to use national points of contact to strengthen the exchange of information and other forms of international cooperation. This bulletin fills that gap.

We aim to inform national authorities every six months on good practices in small arms control and the latest developments in the United Nations, so that they have access to the most authoritative and tested methods and policies.

If you, as a national official working on effective small arms control, are easily able to retrieve state-of-the-art tools and information, this will contribute to the goal of ‘disarmament saving lives’: the key objective on conventional arms regulation in the UN Secretary-General’s ‘Disarmament Agenda’.

NEWS

United Nations Programme of Action on small arms : Highlights from the Third Review Conference

All UN Member States agreed in 2001 on a Programme of Action on small arms. Every six years, they come together for a review of their actions. The Third United Nations Conference to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of the Programme of Action (RevCon3) took place in New York from 18-29 June 2018. The Conference adopted an outcome document by unanimous vote, although there were separate votes on the two paragraphs mentioning ammunition. The outcome document should guide national, regional, and global actions on small arms control that governments undertake.

At RevCon3, States stressed that while progress in the implementation of the Programme of Action on small arms (PoA) and its International Tracing Instrument (ITI) have been made, the “implementation remains uneven and that challenges and obstacles still stand in the way of the full and effective implementation […], including a lack of resources and differing capacities in many States, and underlined the need for enhanced and effective international cooperation and assistance”.

States agreed to take action on a wide range of issues to address the small arms problem, including:

2030 Agenda: Acknowledging the link between the PoA and its ITI on the one hand, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development on the other, States agreed to take advantage of the implementation of and reporting under both instruments to support data collection for the relevant indicator 16.4.2. under the 2030 Agenda and to promote that arms control efforts should be placed in a wider development framework.

Ammunition: The outcome document includes two paragraphs on ammunition. One welcomes the parallel process established under the General Assembly resolution on ammunition. The second acknowledges that States that apply provisions of the PoA to ammunition can exchange and apply relevant experiences, lessons learned and best practices. Both paragraphs were objected to by the United States and Israel in a vote.

Gender-mainstreaming: The PoA is notoriously silent on gender perspectives, but RevCon3 saw an agreement on progressive language on gender-related topics. This includes:

• the acknowledgment of differing impacts in policy and programme designs for small arms control measures
• a call for the full participation and representation of women in all processes
• a request to ensure the coordination between national authorities responsible for the implementation of the PoA and relevant ministries or other national authorities responsible for women’s or gender affairs as well as with women’s civil society groups
• the collection of disaggregated data on gender through national reports
• For the first time in the PoA process, the connection was made between the implementation of the PoA and combating gender-based violence.

Given this outcome, national commissions on small arms are further encouraged to include officials working on gender issues in their work.

New technologies: Increasingly, firearms are made from polymers, not metal. Modular weapons are becoming common, which has consequences for marking their parts. 3D-printing will be changing firearms production soon. In the outcome document, States responded to the opportunities and challenges of recent developments in small arms and light weapons manufacturing, technology and design in several paragraphs. Discussions at RevCon3 included the possibility of developing an Annex to the ITI, which could reflect those latest developments. Ultimately, States agreed in the follow-up section of the outcome document to request the Secretary-General to report on this issue well before the next meeting (Biennial Meeting of States in 2020). The report should include national views from Member States.

Unauthorized recipients: RevCon3 included language on preventing the reactivation of deactivated weapons – nowadays a preferred method for terrorists in acquiring illicit weaponry. A section on best practices to ensure irreversible deactivation or destruction of firearms was agreed in the outcome document, specifying steps States should take to ensure that weapons are permanently made inoperable. Several references to terrorism and unauthorized recipients were also agreed upon, including a reference to Security Council Resolution 2370 (2017) which addresses terrorism.

Follow-up process: States agreed in the follow-up section of the outcome document on biennial meetings of States in 2020 and 2022 and a Review Conference in 2024. The one-week biennial meeting of States in 2020 will address the issue of diversion and illicit international transfer of small arms and light weapons to unauthorized recipients.

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UN Secretary-General’s disarmament agenda: Focus on small arms

Under the title “Securing Our Common Future”, the Secretary-General issued his Agenda for Disarmament in May 2018. It highlights issues of disarmament and arms control in three domains: disarmament to save humanity (weapons of mass destruction); disarmament that saves lives (conventional arms, including small arms) and disarmament for future generations (emerging categories of weapons and means of warfare).

The Agenda recognizes that efforts to address the problems posed by the illicit trade in small arms have been fragmented and limited. This issue is usually addressed from a narrow perspective of national security and crime. Recent recognition of the detrimental effects of small arms proliferation for development has opened a new opportunity to pursue a whole-of-government approach: tackling small-arms control through a single integrative lens, including legislation, police, cross-border trade, public health, gender, migration, maritime & aviation transportation safety, peacekeeping, development, and inner-city violence. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development importantly affirms that combating the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons is necessary for achieving many Goals, including those relating to peace, justice and strong institutions, poverty reduction, economic growth, health, gender equality, and safe cities and communities.

Broad, sustained, and integrated support for country-level action will be most effective, providing all stakeholders — recipient governments, donors, and implementers — with more opportunities, more coherence, and more return on investment.

To strengthen the programmatic approach to small arms control together with impactful funding, the Agenda underlines the clear need for the United Nations to pursue a new model for sustained and coherent small-arms-related funding. To meet this need, the Secretary-General will establish the Saving Lives Entity (SALIENT): a new fund to provide more sustainable solutions for the small-arms scourge, with a strong development focus. Funded through SALIENT, integrated country-level approaches will be developed in collaboration with the affected States, and with the support of United Nations country teams. More information will follow shortly.

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Disarmament, Demobilization & Reintegration (DDR): New handbook for weapons and ammunition management

Do you have colleagues working on Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration? Does your country contribute troops to peace operations? Let your relevant colleagues know there is a new tool available for their work.

Peace operations have grown more complex. Conflict may still be raging. Multiple armed actors may be involved. Mandates often include weapons management. Regional organizations play a role. And weapons management practices have evolved.

The United Nations thus needed to better address what is needed on the ground.

The UN’s Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and the Office for Disarmament Affairs (ODA) have launched a new resource: “Weapons and Ammunition Management in a Changing Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Context”. The handbook is available online in English and French.

This handbook provides DDR practitioners with practical guidance on how to design and implement state-of-the-art DDR programmes – including innovative community violence reduction (CVR) approaches – that take into consideration the most recent international standards and guidelines. MOSAIC, the Modular Small-arms-control Implementation Compendium, formerly known as the International Small Arms Control Standards / ISACS) and the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG) represent fundamental components of the handbook and are referenced throughout.

The publication illustrates how the United Nations system is consistently working on increasing the effectiveness of peace operations, in a coordinated way. It also supports the international community in implementing the comprehensive 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Under the 2030 Agenda, DPKO and ODA support States in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular Goal 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions. The material in the handbook directly addresses target 16.1, on reduction of all forms of violence; 16.4 related to a significant reduction of illicit arms flows; and 16.a on strengthening national institutions for building capacity for preventing violence and combating terrorism and crime.

For hard-copies of the handbook and for any other queries, contact conventionalarms-unoda@un.org.

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National reports: High submission rate reflects political commitment to PoA. Did your government submit?

Every two years, states submit national reports on their implementation of the Programme of Action (PoA) and its International Tracing Instrument (ITI). In 2018, UNODA received 119 reports, hitting a record high since the adoption of the PoA in 2001. It reaffirms the political commitment of States to tackle the scourge of illicit small arms. A number of good practices have been distilled from 2018 national reports.

National reporting has multiple utilities. Not only does it facilitate information exchange and transparency on small arms control among States, it also identifies needs for international assistance; establishes a basis for measuring progress; promotes gender considerations; and supports data collection for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. A newly launched online tool on PoA reporting presents relevant functions and data, including country profiles and statistics.

2018 National reports can still be submitted. Please contact conventionalarms-unoda@un.org.

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New name: ISACS – the authoritative, universal guidance on small arms control – are now MOSAIC

Increasingly, officials know that they can benefit from the United Nations’ practical, authoritative modules with advice on small arms control measures. Over 110 countries have reported applying our modules when they work to improve their small-arms control measures. All modules are available free of charge on the UN website.

The UN developed this set of modules under the name International Small Arms Control Standards, ISACS in short. They aim to translate into practice the objectives of key global agreements and international law. And they are based on best practices, codes of conduct and standard operating procedures that have been developed at regional and sub-regional levels.

Now, the UN is relaunching them under an immediately recognizable name: MOSAIC.

MOSAIC stands for Modular Small-arms-control Implementation Compendium.

MOSAIC remains a collection of modules based on the very best advice from experts around the world. They range from how to establish a national small-arms commission or set up a national SALW action plan, to modules on stockpile management, gender, or weapons marking. And many more. Identify the small arms actions your government wants to improve on. Then pick those modules relevant to these actions and let these inform and inspire your government’s work. They’re available in a growing number of languages.

By properly basing their small-arms control endeavours on the MOSAIC modules, countries reduce the risk of weapons falling into the hands of criminals, armed groups, terrorists and others who would misuse them.

MOSAIC. Good practices for safer societies.

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Transparency: Which governments are reporting their small arms transfers to the UN?

Did you know the Register of Conventional Arms (UNROCA) is an important global tool for building confidence and trust among States – contributing to conflict prevention as a result? It’s basically a commitment by governments to report to the UN, every year, their imports and exports of weaponry, which the UN then makes public. The data collected through UNROCA may help States to identify excessive and destabilizing accumulations of conventional arms, which pose a risk for international peace and security – or could help start dialogues between countries on their security environment and possible arms limitation.

Initially, only heavy weapons were reported, from battle tanks to combat aircraft to warships. But since 2003, transfers of small arms and light weapons (SALW) can also be reported to UNROCA. Already 80 States have reported their exports and imports of SALW. In recent years, approximately two-thirds of national reports submitted to the Register contained data on SALW transfers.

UNROCA is reviewed every three years by a Group of Governmental Experts (GGE), containing some twenty officials from different countries. A GGE usually makes recommendations on the further development of the process. The most recent GGE (2016) composed a short questionnaire to collect Member States’ views on whether or not small arms and light weapons (SALW) should be elevated to the status of a formal category under UNROCA (in which case SALW would become the eighth category of weapons covered by UNROCA, and reporting on SALW transfers would become a formal requirement).

The UNROCA questionnaire can still be returned.

And regular UNROCA national reports can still be submitted at www.unroca.org/reporting/login. The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs stands ready to assist Member States with their submission. Contact conventionalarms-unoda@un.org for your government’s username and password, to submit your country’s response to the questionnaire or any other inquiry.

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THEMES

Development: Is small arms control a development issue?

Armed violence, at all levels, infringes on development in many ways. It forces people to flee their homes, destroys infrastructures and social and health services, increases unemployment, heightens gender-based violence, forces schools to close, impedes investment, facilitates organized crime, enables corruption and, as most victims are usually young adults, it robs communities of the work force that is needed to propel development.

Small arms problems affecting development involve legally and illicitly held weapons.

Legally-held weapons can obstruct development when they are poorly managed and misused. Negative effects may include violations of human rights and humanitarian law, and domestic and sexual violence. Mismanagement of small arms happens when governments cannot effectively control the arsenals under their custody and cannot properly enforce the laws that regulate civilian ownership. Inadequate regulations and deficient storage facilities are usually the reason why small arms end up in the wrong hands.

Porous borders, corruption, illegal craft production, rampant crime and lawlessness all contribute to the ubiquitous presence of illicit small arms in fragile societies, denying development to civilians in massive numbers.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development endorses the view that development needs a secure environment to thrive. It calls explicitly, in its target 16.4, for a significant reduction of illicit arms flows. Effective small arms control will help meet many other Goals and targets – from gender equality to safe cities, from economic growth to poverty reduction. Small arms control is, indeed, a non-negligible activity that States must take seriously as they strive to achieve sustainable development and the well-being of their people. In practice it means that governments will need to include small-arms control in their development plans, and in their development structures. Does your national commission on small arms include development experts?

Contact conventionalarms-unoda@un.org for ideas on how to involve development considerations into your national or regional small-arms-control activities.

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New Technologies: How best to control polymer, modular and 3D weapons?

Over the last decade, weapon design and production methods have emerged that could negatively impact effective small-arms control.

For example, small arms are increasingly made of polymers (plastics). This can make them undetectable. It also has consequences for how the unique marking on a weapon is applied: Inscription? Laser? Stamping? We also know that if a criminal has erased the marking on a polymer weapon, its reconstruction is almost impossible.

Then there is the increased use of modularity in small arms design. If a weapon has exchangeable parts, this has consequences for where the marking should be applied.

Also, additive manufacturing, mostly known as 3D-printing, is on the rise. It is a set of production technologies through which objects are fabricated by adding successive layers according to a digital design. Originally mostly making use of plastics, but metals are now used as well. 3D-printing presents unique proliferation and control risks.

Some technologies, such as laser marking, microstamping and automatic electronic data collection, could serve as assets in implementing the International Tracing Instrument (ITI). (The ITI is a UN document agreed by all countries in the framework of the UN Programme of Action on small arms.)

These new technologies and their opportunities and challenges have been discussed by all UN Member States beginning in 2011, including those challenges related to financial and technical resources.

At the 2012 Second Review Conference of the Programme of Action and ITI, Member States requested the Secretary-General for a report on implications of recent developments in SALW technology. This report provides a comprehensive, easy-to-understand review of technological developments considering weapons tracing requirements under the ITI, including implications for ITI implementation. It addresses materials, design and production techniques as well as new technology applications.

In 2018, the Third Review Conference of the Programme of Action requested the Secretary-General to submit an updated report on recent developments in manufacturing, technology and design, particularly polymer and modular weapons, and to make recommendations on ways to address them. States stressed the importance of consultations on this topic in order to reach consensus before the seventh Biennial Meeting of States in 2020.

The updated report of the Secretary-General is expected to be released in 2019.

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Gender: Deeply relevant for small arms control

The unique, deeply societal characteristics of the small arms problem necessitates a comprehensive mainstreaming of gender perspectives in all dimensions of small-arms control. To date, gender has been insufficiently addressed and integrated into policies regulating small arms. And if gender dimensions are not adequately dealt with when regulating small arms, the success and effectiveness of interventions will be limited.

Armed conflict and criminal violence affect women and men differently. Men form a massive majority of firearm owners and constitute an absolute majority of perpetrators of armed violence, including gender-based violence. Thus, often over 80 percent of victims of small arms violence, in all societies, are young men. For women, guns and domestic violence form a deadly combination. Globally, over one third of murders of women are committed by their intimate partner, and in many countries guns are the weapon of choice. In conflict settings, sexual violence facilitated by armed intimidation is a recurring scourge.

Attitudes towards arms often diverge between the sexes. Weapons are effective power multipliers, enabling the holder’s dominance by their mere presence. They facilitate expressions of masculinity related to intimidation rather than to constructive problem-solving. Where men may perceive owning a weapon as a means towards increased power, security and status, women are more likely to see the presence of arms as a threat to their own and their families’ security.

Women remain underrepresented in small arms control processes and are rarely in decision-making positions. Ensuring their equal and meaningful participation and representation is a precondition for bringing a diversity of perspectives and gender concerns to the domains of international, national and local security, leading to more inclusive, effective and sustainable policy outcomes.

Recognizing the important role that the mainstreaming of gender perspectives plays in all dimensions of small arms control, the Secretary-General in his new Agenda for Disarmament calls upon States to “incorporate gender perspectives in the development of national legislation and policies on disarmament and arms control, including consideration of the gendered aspects of ownership, use and misuse of arms; the differentiated impacts of weapons on women and men; and the ways in which gender roles can shape arms control and disarmament policies and practices.”

At the Third Review Conference on the Programme of Action, all States recognized the importance of the issue of gender mainstreaming and agreed to take targeted action as part of their fight against the illicit trade in small arms.   

National authorities can make use of the MOSAIC module on ‘Women, men and the gendered nature of small arms and light weapons’, which provides guidance and advice on designing and implementing gender-responsive small arms control initiatives.

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Selected modules from the Modular Small-arms-control Implementation Compendium (MOSAIC):

MOSAIC contains 24 modules. They provide the best advice for small arms implementation measures, on all important elements. In this Bulletin, we pay extra attention to three of them.

Setting up a national coordinating mechanisms

Conducting small arms surveys

Security Council: Addressing small arms and light weapons

Over the years, the United Nations Security Council has discussed the destabilizing effect of the accumulation of small arms and light weapons in armed conflicts, both as a stand-alone item and as part of its consideration of the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

In 2013, the Security Council adopted the first-ever thematic resolution dedicated exclusively to small arms and light weapons. Resolution 2117 (2013) focuses on the illicit transfer, destabilizing accumulation and misuse of small arms and light weapons. The resolution illustrates the broad impact of small arms and light weapons on the work of the Security Council, including in the areas of arms embargoes, peacekeeping operations and curbing terrorism.

Two years later, resolution 2220 (2015) expanded on the language of the first resolution. It includes provisions aimed at better implementation of United Nations arms embargoes. And it underscores the importance of appropriate peacekeeping mandates, including effective reintegration and demobilization programmes, and support to the Arms Trade Treaty. Resolution 2220 (2015) also critically recognizes the role of women in tackling the small arms challenge – and the importance of assisting States in enhancing their stockpile management.

At the request of the Security Council, the Secretary-General has issued five reports on the theme of small arms and light weapons, in 2008, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017.

One key advice: the UN should always include a weapons angle in the geographic or thematic topics under its consideration.

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

UNSCAR trust fund: Matching needs with resources

Since the United Nations Trust Facility Supporting Cooperation on Arms Regulation (UNSCAR) was established in 2013, 64 projects on an aggregated budget of $9 million have been implemented. Some 140 States have benefited directly or indirectly from the activities funded by UNSCAR.

Each year, UNSCAR selects small-scale, quick-impact, targeted assistance projects for funding through an annual call for proposals: a competitive application process. In addition to that, UNSCAR funds special-circumstances projects in response to urgent and unpredicted situations year-round. Areas addressed range from illicit production, tracing, stockpile management, end use/end user control, brokering to gender-related considerations and public awareness-raising.

UNSCAR received 53 applications through its 2018 Call for proposals, which was open in June and July. 24 applications have been already approved or endorsed by national authorities, including eight proposals submitted on behalf of the government by an UN entity or an NGO. Successful applicants will be notified in early November.

Visit www.un.org/disarmament/unscar to find out more about the UNSCAR trust fund and how your country can benefit.

Current funding partners

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SALIENT: Ambitious fund for multi-year, cross-sectoral programming

The negative impact on development of the illicit trade in small arms is evident. The 2030 Agenda for the Development includes a target that explicitly refers to the need for a significant reduction of illicit arms flows.

The cross-cutting issue of small arms and light weapons requires a coherent, cross-sectional response: from improving warehouses, destroying surpluses, and training police, to strengthening legislation, rolling out community safety programmes, and providing alternative livelihoods for former gang members.

This requires a large-scale, flexible funding mechanism that enables implementation of coordinated, integrated small arms control measures in most-affected countries. For this purpose, the Secretary-General of the United Nations is establishing a dedicated funding window within the Peacebuilding Fund: The Saving Lives Entity (SALIENT). The precise modalities of SALIENT will be developed in the coming months, and the entity is expected to become operational in 2019.

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Regional Centres: Request assistance from regional experts

Have you ever wondered if technical trainings can be provided to your country’s armed forces or law enforcement? Or if an assessment could be done on your national small-arms legislation? Or about any other assistance on small arms from experts that know your part of the world?

The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) maintains a global operational presence through its three Regional Centres:

• The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin American and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), located in Lima, Peru
• The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD), located in Kathmandu, Nepal
• The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC), located in Lomé, Togo

Established by the General Assembly, the Regional Centres have been assisting States in the areas of disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation for more than 30 years.

The Centres facilitate regional dialogue and confidence building; provide capacity building, technical training and legislative assistance; promote disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control instruments , and undertake outreach, research and advocacy.

On small arms, our Regional Centres assist governments in improving physical security and stockpile management and in preventing trafficking. They do legal and technical reviews, advise on regulating private security companies, and foster peace and disarmament education. They work with parliamentarians, government officials and women-led civil society organizations to mainstream a gender perspective into small-arms regulation and promote the engagement of women in decision-making processes. With youth groups they advance cultures of peace.

UNLIREC, UNRCPD and UNREC work closely with States, (sub-)regional organizations, other UN entities, non-governmental and civil society organizations, and academic and other research institutions. All their activities support the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In short, these Regional Centres are your country’s regional partner and they stand ready to support concrete activities on small arms control. Get in touch!

UNLIREC (Latin America & Caribbean): information@unlirec.org I www.unlirec.org

UNRCPD (Asia & Pacific): info@unrcpd.org I www.unrcpd.org

UNREC (Africa): mail@unrec.org I www.unrec.org

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BACKGROUND

Programme of Action on small arms: What it is, what it can do for your country

In 2001, countries adopted the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (PoA). In it, governments agreed to improve national small arms regulations, to strengthen stockpile management, to ensure that weapons are properly and reliably marked, to improve cooperation in weapons tracing, and to engage in regional and international cooperation and assistance.

In 2005 they also adopted the complementary International Tracing Instrument (ITI) within the PoA framework, which requires States to ensure that weapons are properly marked and that records are kept. Moreover, it provides a framework for cooperation in weapons tracing – fulfilling one of the commitments governments made in the Programme of Action.

Improving weapons tracing is now part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which has created a linkage between peace and security on the one hand and development on the other. The full and effective implementation of the PoA and its ITI is important for attaining Goal 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions and its Target 16.4 which calls for a significant reduction of illicit arms flows.

While progress has been made in tackling the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons over the past two decades through the implementation of the PoA and its ITI, many challenges remain. National reports are the primary tool to assess the implementation of the instruments. A conference to review the progress made in the implementation of the PoA is convened every six years to address such challenges and to strengthen the implementation of the PoA and its ITI. Between review conferences, Biennial Meetings of States (BMS) are held. Additionally, countries have held Meetings of Governmental Experts (MGE) to benefit from the knowledge of technical specialists on matters pertaining to small arms control.

The most recent Review Conference was convened in June 2018; States recommitted to the full implementation of the PoA and ITI and agreed on holding biennial meetings of States in 2020 (BMS7) and 2022 (BMS8), and a Review Conference in 2024 (RevCon4).

Timeline: all meetings under the UN Programme of Action, 2001-2024

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MOSAIC: the best possible guidance for small arms, one module at a time

It cannot be stressed enough: MOSAIC, the Modular Small-arms-control Implementation Compendium, is the most practical, the easiest accessible, the most complete, the widest vetted, and the most authoritative international guidance for national small arms control.

The compendium is the result of a decade of coordinated work within the UN system, involving 24 partner entities with expertise ranging from development and weapons management to gender and public health. An external expert reference group of over 300 specialists, from NGOs to industry, completed the sturdy process of establishing each module.

Governments often call upon the UN system to provide advice and support on issues related to small arms and light weapons control — including on legislative, programmatic and operational matters. UN agencies decided that the best way to ensure that the United Nations as a whole could consistently deliver high-quality advice and support in response to such requests, was to develop international guidance on small arms and light weapons control, similar to the standards the UN developed in the areas of mine action (International Mine Action Standards – IMAS); disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (Integrated DDR Standards – IDDRS); and ammunition (International Ammunition Technical Guidelines – IATG).

MOSAIC is a completely voluntary toolkit, and free of charge. It translates into practice the objectives of key global agreements and international law aiming to prevent the illicit trade, destabilizing accumulation and misuse of small arms and light weapons:

• the UN Programme of Action against the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons;
• the International Tracing Instrument;
• the Firearms Protocol supplementing the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime;
• the Arms Trade Treaty.

MOSAIC is based on best-practice guidelines, model regulations and legislation, codes of conduct, and standard operating procedures that have been developed at (sub-)regional levels. In other words: they never contradict your regional commitments.

For more on MOSAIC: www.un.org/disarmament/salw

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CONNECT

• National Points of Contact / National Coordination Agencies for the Programme of Action
• United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA)
• Regional Centres for disarmament
• UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
• UNODC regional centres / offices
• SEESAC (South-Eastern & Eastern Europe)

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