UN Programme of Action
In 2001, the UN recognised the need for international action on the global problem of the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons (SALW). The UN Programme of Action on the Illicit Trade in SALW in All its Aspects (PoA), was agreed in July 2001 and remains the primary international agreement on the control of small arms and light weapons.
It sets out a range of measures for States to take to manage all aspects of the problem, including the control of small arms transfers, regulating small arms brokering, managing stockpiles, marking and tracing small arms and assisting in PoA implementation.
Saferworld works with partners at both the regional and international levels to monitor states' progress on implementation, to encourage states to carry out the commitments in full and to promote further development of the PoA.
Saferworld has played a key role in the Biting the Bullet project which, in the run up to the 2001 UN Conference, brought together government experts, academics and civil society to discuss and put forward innovative solutions to the multidimensional problem of small arms proliferation. The Biting the Bullet project has produced PoA monitoring reports in 2003, 2005 and 2006 and, more recently, a number of briefings on key issues of small arms control.
Saferworld is currently working to support the development of the agenda and outcomes of the forthcoming Biennial Meeting of States in June 2010 (BMS4). We will encourage States and relevant international agencies to focus on preventing diversion of small arms transfers and the humanitarian impact of SALW control efforts.
During these consultations it will also be important to consider how the PoA follow-up process—from BMS4 through to the 2012 Review Conference—can be best organised to facilitate enhanced PoA implementation by states and to encourage actions that will have a significant and demonstrable impact on the proliferation and misuse of SALW.
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