UN chief praises ‘strong’ new recommendations to limit the proliferation of small arms

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres praised the adoption of a “strong outcome document” at the end of a conference to combat illicit small arms and light weapons worldwide, saying it was an important sign of progress.

“The proliferation, diversion and misuse of small arms and light weapons continue to undermine peace, security and sustainable development around the world – fuelling conflict and armed violence and causing devastating human losses,” the UN chief said in a statement.

He congratulated Member States on the successful conclusion of the Fourth Review Conference and welcomed the establishment of a permanent technical expert group to address developments in the production, technology and design of small arms and light weapons.

The Secretary-General also acknowledged the commitments of States to strengthen international cooperation and support and to implement gender-sensitive strategies. Guterres said he was “firmly convinced that the progress achieved … will help strengthen our collective and national efforts to combat illicit small arms and light weapons by the next Review Conference in 2030.”

The UN chief added that he hoped the commitments on small arms would serve as a basis for discussions at the Future Summit in September “to find forward-looking and action-oriented solutions for a more peaceful future.”

Earlier this month, Guterres said in a statement to delegates that the conference was taking place at a “difficult and dangerous moment for humanity,” with millions of people at risk from new conflicts in which light weapons play a major role.

Small arms are the leading cause of violent deaths and are the weapon of choice in almost half of all murders worldwide, according to UN figures.

The illicit proliferation of light weapons is accelerating due to new developments in small arms manufacturing, technology and design – including 3D printing.

The Secretary-General’s Policy Brief on the New Agenda for Peace recognizes the importance of small arms control in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. It includes recommendations to strengthen regional, national and global control efforts on both the supply and demand sides.

During the debate, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN Munir Akram expressed serious concern about the acquisition and use of modern and sophisticated small arms by terrorist groups such as the TTP – a UN-designated terrorist organisation – which reportedly uses safe havens in Afghanistan to carry out deadly cross-border attacks in Pakistan.

“These weapons are not manufactured by terrorists or criminals,” the Pakistani envoy told delegates, pointing out that they acquire them on illegal arms markets or receive them from organizations seeking to destabilize a particular region or country.

“It is imperative to investigate how terrorist groups and criminal organizations obtain such sophisticated weapons,” said Ambassador Akram. “It is the responsibility of all states and the UN to take measures to prevent the illicit trade, transfer and diversion of these weapons.”

He also said that the illicit proliferation, excessive accumulation and misuse of small arms and light weapons continued to exacerbate conflicts, fuel terrorism, threaten peace and security and undermine sustainable development, causing hundreds of thousands of lives lost each year, inflicting terrible suffering on civilian populations and destroying economies and societies.