The widespread availability and illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW) serve as key drivers and enablers of armed conflicts, violent extremism, and the expansion of terrorism, the United Nations (UN) Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) has revealed.
As a result, the UNODA Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu has called on the urgent need for measures to be taken to disrupt the supply of such arms to terrorists and other transnational criminal groups.
“Adequate small arms control is a crucial means of reducing armed violence, preventing conflict and building peaceful and inclusive societies — without which sustainable development cannot happen,” Nakamitsu said.
The UN official was speaking in Nairobi where a pivotal gathering of Eastern and Southern African countries is meeting to review progress made and set priorities for preventing, combating and eradicating the scourge of illicit SALW.
The meeting, dubbed Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Fourth Review Conference on the UN Programme of Action (UN PoA) and its International Tracing Instrument (ITI), was officially opened by the Internal Security Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo.
PS Omollo said Kenya has strengthened the national legal and institutional frameworks, enhanced border controls, and promoted regional cooperation to eradicate illicit SALW.
The country has also improved the capacity for firearms tracing, marking, and record-keeping to reduce illegal possession, misuse, and trafficking of such arms and their ammunition.
The government has also enhanced physical security and stockpile management of government stockpiles, according to the PS.
Kenya hosts the Regional Centre on Small Arms and Light Weapons (RECSA) and has been active in developing strategies to curb the supply and demand of SALW.
In June last year, Kenya also took over the chairmanship of the RECSA following a unanimous endorsement from the representatives of the organization’s 15 member states.
“Other measures include capacity building of law enforcement agencies on national and other international guidelines on small arms control, and investing in modern technologies and equipment to enhance our border surveillance capabilities,” Dr Omollo said.
The meeting held in Nairobi is being attended by the President Designate of the Fourth Review Conference, Amb. Maritza Chan Valverde, UN’s Nakamitsu plus delegations from over 26 countries from the Eastern and Southern Africa region.
Also in attendance are delegates from regional and subregional organizations such as the African Union, the Economic Community of East African Community (ECA) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The meeting seeks to foster exchange of views on the state of implementation of the UN PoA and the ITI, and also discuss a set of priorities in preparation for the UN PoA’s conference scheduled to take place in New York from 17 to 28 June 2024.
It also seeks to identify region-specific challenges and discuss priorities for the review conference which will include developing effective national policies, identifying and developing strategies to curb supply and demand of such weapons, among others.
A similar meeting for West and Central African States took place in Lomé, Togo, from 29 February to 1 March.
The UN PoA, adopted in 2001, is a politically binding framework contains commitments by Member States to enhance control measures over small arms, including through improved national regulations, stockpile management, import/export controls and international cooperation.
The introduction of the ITI in 2005 further strengthened this framework, by emphasizing the need for effective marking and record-keeping of weapons, thus aiding in their traceability.
These measures are integral to the global effort to address the challenges posed by the illicit arms trade and align with the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
PS Omollo, however, said for Kenya, the effective implementation of these measures required more than just local efforts but also sustained political will, adequate resources, and enhanced international cooperation and assistance.
The PS warned small arms and light weapons continue to wreak havoc in communities, fuel conflicts, undermine peace and stability, and hinder socio-economic development across East and Southern Africa and the continent at large.
“The illicit trade in small arms knows no borders and respects no laws, making it imperative for us to strengthen our collaborative efforts at both regional and international levels,” he said.
The member states will also take stock of the achievements, assess the challenges that lie ahead, and chart a course of action that will enable them to effectively address the root causes of SALW proliferation.
There are 15 RECSA member states in the Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa signatories to the Nairobi Declaration and Nairobi Protocol.
They are Burundi, Central Africa Republic, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania.
