United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms

The United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects was held in New York from 9 -20 July 2001 as decided in United Nations General Assembly Resolution 54/54 V. Preceded by three preparatory committee sessions, the two-week Conference resulted in the adoption of the 'Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects.'^[1] States are required to report to the United Nations on the progress of their implementation of the UN Programme of Action, commonly known as the PoA.

The United Nations General Assembly scheduled a review conference in New York^[2] which was held from 26 June to 7 July 2006.^[3] The Review Conference was plagued by disagreements and states were unable to agree on a substantive outcome document.^[4] There have also been four Biennial Meetings of States to consider the implementation of the Programme of Action, in 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2010. The 2008 Biennial Meeting of States resulted in the adoption, by vote,^[5] of an Outcome Document^[6] focusing on three main issues: international assistance, cooperation and capacity-building, stockpile management and surplus disposal and illicit brokering in small arms and light weapons. A review conference of the Programme of Action is scheduled for 2012.

See also

• Small arms proliferation
• SALW
• Small Arms
• Gun Politics
• Arms trafficking
• Small Arms Survey

Notes

1. ^ "Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects". http://www.poa-iss.org/PoA/poahtml.aspx. Retrieved 2009-08-01. 
2. ^ United Nations General Assembly Resolution 86 session 59 on 3 December 2004 (retrieved 2007-10-18)
3. ^ "2006 Small Arms Review Conference webpage". http://www.un.org/events/smallarms2006/index.html. 
4. ^ "UN world conference on small arms collapses without agreement". http://www.controlarms.org/en/media/2006/7-july-2006-control-arms-un-world-conference-on. 
5. ^ "Small Arms Conference Nets Agreement". http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2008_09/SmallArms. 
6. ^ "Report of the Third Biennial Meeting of States to Consider the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the IllicArms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects". http://www.poa-iss.org/DocsUpcomingEvents/ENN0846796.pdf. 

External links

• United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, 9 - 20 July 2001^{[dead link]}
• United Nations Small Arms Review Conference 2006
• Third 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
• Small Arms and Light Weapons/Armed Violence, United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs
• United Nations Programme of Action Implementation Support System
• IANSA: Small Arms at the UN
• Text of the Programme of Action at the Center for a World in Balance