Disarmament Diplomacy

Issue No. 55, March 2001

UN Small Arms Conference: Preparatory Committee Meeting

'Preparatory Committee for July Small Arms Conference Concludes Third and Final Session,' United Nations Press Release DC/2767, March 30, 2001.

"The Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects this afternoon concluded its third session, which began on 19 March, by adopting its report of the current session section-by-section, as orally amended.

The Conference will be held at Headquarters from 9 to 20 July, and will be the first major international meeting on the issue. The Committee was established at the General Assembly's fifty-fourth session to recommend draft final documents for the Conference and decide certain procedural issues. Earlier preparatory sessions were held in early February 2000 and January 2001. When the Committee convened for the current session, it began a revised draft programme of action for the Conference, proposed by the Chair. Extensive debate was held on the draft and wide support expressed for it, although a final document was not approved.

Introducing the report, the Secretary of the Committee, acting as Rapporteur, Agnès Marcaillou, said that the list of states participating in the session had omitted Burundi and Lebanon. She also added a section that reflected the participation of non-governmental organizations. Other recommendations described the Committee's working procedures, reflected changes in the Bureau, and added a number of letters from delegations which transmitted drafting proposals on the revised draft programme of action. The report also contained decisions taken and recommendations made by the Committee.

Also this afternoon, a draft decision, as orally amended, was proposed by the Netherlands, (on behalf of Brazil, Mali and the United Kingdom), by whose terms the Committee would recommend that the first day of the Conference be called 'Small Arms Destruction Day'. The Committee would, therefore, call upon all states to organize, on a voluntary basis, and where possible, with non-governmental organizations and civil society, public events on the destruction of small arms and light weapons on that day, and to ensure the widest possible dissemination of information about the events.

A number of speakers, while agreeing with the concept of the proposed decision, nevertheless asked for time to consult their capitals before any action could be taken on the text. The Chairman of the Committee, Carlos Dos Santos (Mozambique) said comments by delegations on the proposed decision should be given to the Secretariat next week, which would then circulate that information to delegations. Unless strong objections were received, it would be assumed that were no major problems with the proposed decision and the recommendations contained in it would be reflected in the report of the Committee and then transferred to the Conference.

Also this afternoon, the Chairman, informing participants about his consultations on the Presidency of the Conference, said that Japan and the United Kingdom had withdrawn their candidates and joined other member states in endorsing the candidacy of Camillo Reyes (Colombia). He said Ambassador Reyes would preside over the substantive work of the Conference and considerations on the programme of action. Ambassador Mitsuro Donowaki (Japan) would chair the high-level section of the Conference, while Ambassador Michael Weston (United Kingdom) would chair a Committee falling under rule 46 of the rules of procedure.

In his closing remarks the Chairman said the Committee had accomplished much, considering the delicate nature of the subjects being discussed. There had been a spirit of compromise and he believed that there was now a clear picture of the kinds of agreements that could be achieved with consensus at the Conference. He hoped the constructive spirit would carry over to that meeting. He expressed his appreciation to the non-governmental organizations that had participated, hoping they would work with governments to ensure the success of the Conference. ...

Highlights of Session

During its third and final session, the Committee focused much of its energy on strengthening the Chairman's proposed draft programme of action. It also decided to allow the participation of certain non-governmental organizations and, following that decision, it heard representatives of some of those organizations. Over the course of the session, it was briefed by representatives of various units of the United Nations system and regional organizations.

Delegates expressed overwhelming support for the revised draft of the programme of action that had emerged from the discussions of the second session and was issued in the interim (document A/CONF.192/PC/L.4/Rev.1). It was called comprehensive, balanced and pragmatic. Others remarked that it had been made simpler and more straightforward and now reflected the multitude of views expressed at the first two sessions.

The draft plan, divided into four sections, began with a preamble that most representatives thought could serve as a political declaration, rather than requiring a separate document. Subsequent sections covered preventing, controlling and curbing the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons; implementation, including international cooperation and assistance; and follow-up. Each section contained commitments and measures to be undertaken at national, regional and global levels.

During the general debate, as well as detailed debates on sections, many representatives suggested clarifications, stronger emphases on certain subjects and additions to the document. Many wanted the role of regional organizations amplified, given that regional initiatives had created precedents for the current work and had the greatest chance of being effective.

In the preamble, some delegates called for stronger language concerning the impact of the trafficking in small arms on civilian populations, especially children. Others wanted reference to the root causes of conflict including poverty and the legacy of colonialism. In the substantive areas, there were proposals to strengthen marking and tracing systems. Noting that most illicit weapons started out as legally traded weapons, some proposed amendments gave more attention to the legal trade in both the preambular and substantive sections.

A number of speakers, however, stressed once more that the text should confine itself to the issue stipulated in its mandate - the eradication of the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons. For success in that effort, they felt, there was need for a strong consensus, which could not be obtained with controversial additions, especially if those additions were thought to threaten the right of sovereign nations to self-defence.

The decision on non-governmental organization participation...was adopted without a vote. By its terms, the Committee decided that attendance would be open to relevant non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council. Other non-governmental organizations deemed relevant and competent in the subject matter and scope of the Conference would also be allow to attend; the Chairman of the Committee would subsequently provide the Committee with a list of those organizations for consideration on a no-objection basis. Accredited non-governmental organizations would be allowed to address the Committee and the Conference during one meeting specifically allocated for that purpose.

Following that decision, the Committee heard statements on the draft programme of action from 17 non-governmental organizations, many of which were members of the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA). They touched on a wide variety of issues, including: the impact of small arms on civil society and the role of that sector in addressing the proliferation of weapons; rights and responsibilities of states and their citizens; tracing of weapons and transparency; and the need for concrete, situation, specific measures and follow-up actions.

The Committee also decided that the study carried out by the Secretary-General with the assistance of a group of governmental experts, in accordance with provisions of General Assembly resolution 54/54 V, should be made available in advance...and that documents and papers made available to it throughout all sessions of the Preparatory Committee..."