Delegations call for gender mainstreaming for the effective implementation of the UNPoA

by Jasmin Nario-Galace, IANSA Women's Network

 

The first day of the Review Conference on the UN Programme of Action (UNPoA) on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) saw many states articulating the impact on women of the illicit trade in SALW. Thirty-five percent (35%) of 34 delegations who took the floor on the first day of the conference called either for gender mainstreaming for the effective implementation  of the UN PoA or voiced concerns in regard to violence committed against women with SALW as weapons of choice.

Aiming for a meaningful outcome document

by Katherine Prizeman, Global Action to Prevent War

As the Second Review Conference (RevCon) for the UN Programme of Action on small arms (UNPoA) opened on Monday morning, the President of the Conference, Ambassador Ogwu of Nigeria, rightly called upon member states to clearly focus their general debate statements on the “desired outcome” for the conference.

Voluntary associations

by Dr. Robert Zuber, Global Action to Prevent War

 

Ambassador Ogwu of Nigeria, President of the Review Conference, set the tone for the initial meeting noting that illicit small arms represent an 'enduring problem' with profoundly negative ramifications, most especially for fragile states. The audience of diplomats and NGOs seemed attentive to her urgency. The 'hangover' that some of us feared from the month-long arms trade treaty negotiating conference was not in evidence this morning. This ability to recover and respond anew is worthy of high praise. At the same time, there is a recognition by many delegations that the need is still urgent to dry up and properly dispose of illicit stockpiles, secure borders and harbors, share the highest quality information within a predictable and reliable framework, and create more abundant and transparent streams of capacity support.

  

Q: What has the PoA actually achieved on the ground? A: We have no idea

by Daniel Mack, Instituto Sou da Paz 

After more than a decade in existence, the PoA indeed comes to a “crossroads” at the 2012 RevCon, forcing governments to look back and seriously scrutinize the instrument’s (few) achievements and (plentiful) limitations. Also, they cannot squander an irreplaceable opportunity to look forward and act to overcome the PoA’s myriad failures and challenges. Many in civil society and government alike perceive this RevCon as possibly the last chance to avoid condemning the PoA to the ‘dustbin of history’.

 

Legal eagle

by Dr. Robert Zuber, Global Action to Prevent War

  

In the period between the unsuccessful conclusion of the arms trade treaty (ATT) negotiating conference and the beginning of this UNPoA Review Conference, there has been much discussion in the halls of the UN about the ‘relative merits’ of what are often seen as related processes.

Going beyond DDR in PoA’s work on post-conflict situations

by Melina Lito, Global Action to Prevent War and Hector Guerra, IANSA

 

The reference to disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) within the United Nations Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PoA) (Sections II.21, II.22, II.30, II.34, II.35, and III.16) is relevant and shows the possibilities this instrument has in dealing with post-conflict situations in relation to small arms and light weapons (SALW).

 

Reviewing, strengthening, and energizing the UNPoA

by Katherine Prizeman, Global Action to Prevent War

 

As member states gather for the second Review Conference for the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons (UNPoA), a potentially contentious policy gap remains between those who emphasize only the implementation of the UNPoA and those who seek to strengthen the instrument itself. Given the importance of implementing the existing agreement, participating UN member states should focus on developing strengthened provisions in this regard, rather than seeking to change the status or authority of the programme itself.