2012 and Beyond: Advocacy and Action in the UN Small Arms Process

This Briefing Paper examines future policy directions for the 2001 UN Programme of Action on the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons. It assesses the achievements and short-comings of the Programme of Action in its first ten years, noting the difficulties encountered in effectively supporting, monitoring, and assessing implementation, and the changing context in which it now exists.

It outlines specific challenges the Programme of Action process must address over the coming decade to ensure its continued effectiveness and credibility, including: (a) providing better support for implementation at the national and regional levels, including through more regular expert meetings, the greater utilization of existing and emerging implementation tools, and an enhanced capacity to monitor and evaluate implementation and assess its effectiveness; (b) more effectively coordinating Programme of Action implementation with related instruments and processes; and (c) carefully managing ‘unfinished [Pro-gramme of Action] business’ in terms of further normative development. Noting the importance of a successful 2012 Review Conference for the pro-cess’s ongoing vigour and credibility, the briefing paper provides practical suggestions on how this might be achieved.

Available in ENGLISH