United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/69/51

by the United Nations

United Nations

A/RES/69/51

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General Assembly

Distr.: General 11 December 2014

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Sixty-ninth session
Agenda item 96 (dd)

Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 2 December 2014

[on the report of the First Committee (A/69/440)]

69/51. The illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolution 68/48 of 5 December 2013, as well as all previous resolutions entitled “The illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects”, including resolution 56/24 V of 24 December 2001,

Emphasizing the importance of the continued and full implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, adopted by the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects,^[1] and recognizing its important contribution to international efforts on this matter,

Emphasizing also the importance of the continued and full implementation of the International Instrument to Enable States to Identify and Trace, in a Timely and Reliable Manner, Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons (the International Tracing Instrument),^[2]

Mindful of the implementation of the outcomes adopted by the follow-up meetings on the Programme of Action,

Recalling the commitment of States to the Programme of Action as the main framework for measures within the activities of the international community to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects,

Underlining the need for States to enhance their efforts to build national capacity for the effective implementation of the Programme of Action and the International Tracing Instrument,

Welcoming the successful conclusion of the second United Nations Conference to Review Progress Made in 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, held in New York from 27 August to 7 September 2012 (the Second Review Conference), and recalling the endorsement by the General Assembly of the outcome of the Conference,^[3]

Welcoming also the successful conclusion of the Fifth 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, chaired by the Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations and held in New York from 16 to 20 June 2014,

Stressing the importance of voluntary national reporting to follow up on the Programme of Action as a means of assessing overall implementation efforts, including implementation challenges and opportunities, and which could greatly facilitate the rendering of international cooperation and assistance to affected States,

Noting that tools developed by the Office for Disarmament Affairs of the Secretariat, including the Programme of Action Implementation Support System, and those developed by Member States could be used to assess progress made in the implementation of the Programme of Action,

Welcoming the coordinated efforts within the United Nations to implement the Programme of Action, including by developing the Programme of Action Implementation Support System, which forms an integrated clearing house for international cooperation and assistance for capacity-building in the area of small arms and light weapons,

Taking into account the importance of regional approaches to the implementation of the Programme of Action,

Noting with satisfaction regional and subregional efforts being undertaken in support of the implementation of the Programme of Action, and commending the progress that has already been made in this regard, including tackling both supply and demand factors that are relevant to addressing the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons,

Reaffirming that international cooperation and assistance are an essential aspect of the full and effective implementation of the Programme of Action and the International Tracing Instrument,

Reiterating that illicit brokering in small arms and light weapons is a serious problem that the international community should address urgently,

Highlighting new challenges to effective marking, record-keeping and tracing resulting from developments in the manufacturing, technology and design of small arms and light weapons, and bearing in mind the different situations, capacities and priorities of States and regions,

Recognizing the efforts undertaken by non-governmental organizations in the provision of assistance to States for the implementation of the Programme of Action,

Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General,^[4] which includes an overview of the implementation of resolution 68/48,

Welcoming the inclusion of small arms and light weapons in the scope of the Arms Trade Treaty,^[5]

1. Underlines the fact that the issue of the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects requires concerted efforts at the national, regional and international levels to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit manufacture, transfer and circulation of small arms and light weapons, and that their uncontrolled spread in many regions of the world has a wide range of humanitarian and socioeconomic consequences and poses a serious threat to peace, reconciliation, safety, security, stability and sustainable development at the individual, local, national, regional and international levels;

2. Encourages all relevant initiatives, including those of the United Nations, other international organizations, regional and subregional organizations, non-governmental organizations and civil society, for the successful implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, and calls upon all Member States to contribute towards the continued implementation of the Programme of Action at the national, regional and global levels;

3. Encourages States to implement the recommendations contained in the report of the Group of Governmental Experts established pursuant to resolution 60/81 to consider further steps to enhance international cooperation in preventing, combating and eradicating illicit brokering in small arms and light weapons;^[6]

4. Endorses the report adopted at the Fifth 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,^[7] and encourages all States to implement, as appropriate, the measures highlighted in the annex to the report under the sections entitled “Way forward”;

5. Recalls its endorsement of the outcome of the second United Nations Conference to Review Progress Made in 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, held in New York from 27 August to 7 September 2012 (the Second Review Conference);

6. Also recalls its decision, pursuant to the schedule of meetings for the period from 2012 to 2018 agreed at the Second Review Conference,^[8] to convene, in accordance with the relevant provision of the Programme of Action, a one-week biennial meeting of States, in New York in 2014 and 2016, and a one-week open-ended meeting of governmental experts in 2015, to consider the full and effective implementation of the Programme of Action, and decides to hold the next open-ended meeting of governmental experts in New York from 1 to 5 June 2015, the agenda of which will include the topics contained in paragraph 40 of the outcome document of the Fifth Biennial Meeting of States;

7. Further recalls its decision, in accordance with the decision of the Second Review Conference, to hold the third United Nations Conference to Review Progress Made in 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 in 2018 for a period of two weeks, preceded by a one-week preparatory committee meeting early in 2018;

8. Emphasizes the fact that initiatives by the international community with respect to international cooperation and assistance remain essential and complementary to national implementation efforts, as well as to those at the regional and global levels;

9. Encourages States to consider ways to enhance cooperation and assistance and to assess their effectiveness in order to ensure the implementation of the Programme of Action;

10. Recognizes the necessity for interested States to develop effective coordination mechanisms, where they do not exist, in order to match the needs of States with existing resources to enhance the implementation of the Programme of Action and to make international cooperation and assistance more effective, and in this regard encourages States to make use, as appropriate, of the Programme of Action Implementation Support System;

11. Encourages States to consider, among other mechanisms, the coherent identification of needs, priorities, national plans and programmes that may require international cooperation and assistance from States and regional and international organizations in a position to do so;

12. Also encourages States to take full advantage of the benefits of cooperation with the United Nations regional centres for peace and disarmament, the World Customs Organization, the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, in accordance with their mandates and consistent with national priorities;

13. Encourages all efforts to build national capacity for the effective implementation of the Programme of Action, including those highlighted in the outcome documents of the Second Review Conference;

14. Encourages States to submit, on a voluntary basis, national reports on their implementation of the Programme of Action, notes that States will submit national reports on their implementation of the International Instrument to Enable States to Identify and Trace, in a Timely and Reliable Manner, Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons (the International Tracing Instrument), encourages those States in a position to do so to use the reporting template made available by the Office for Disarmament Affairs of the Secretariat, and reaffirms the utility of synchronizing such reports with biennial meetings of States and review conferences as a means of increasing the submission rate and improving the utility of reports, as well as contributing substantively to meeting discussions;

15. Also encourages States, on a voluntary basis, to make increasing use of their national reports as another tool for communicating assistance needs and information on the resources and mechanisms available to address such needs, and encourages States in a position to render such assistance to make use of these national reports;

16. Encourages States, relevant international and regional organizations and civil society with the capacity to do so to cooperate with and assist other States, upon request, in the preparation of comprehensive reports on their implementation of the Programme of Action;

17. Calls upon all States to implement the International Tracing Instrument by, inter alia, including in their national reports the name and contact information of the national points of contact and information on national marking practices used to indicate country of manufacture and/or country of import, as applicable;

18. Recognizes the urgent need to maintain and enhance national controls, in accordance with the Programme of Action, to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, including their diversion to illicit trade, illegal armed groups, terrorists and other unauthorized recipients, taking into account, inter alia, their adverse humanitarian and socioeconomic consequences for the affected States;

19. Encourages States in a position to do so to provide financial assistance, through a voluntary sponsorship fund, that could be distributed, upon request, to States otherwise unable to participate in meetings on the Programme of Action;

20. Encourages interested States and relevant international and regional organizations in a position to do so to convene regional meetings to consider and advance the implementation of the Programme of Action, as well as the International Tracing Instrument, including in preparation for the meetings on the Programme of Action;

21. Encourages civil society and relevant organizations to strengthen their cooperation and work with States at the respective national and regional levels to achieve the implementation of the Programme of Action;

22. Requests the Secretary-General, taking into account the recommendation made by the Fifth Biennial Meeting of States in paragraph 27 (e) of its outcome document, to report to the General Assembly at its seventieth session on the implementation of the present resolution;

23. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its seventieth session, under the item entitled “General and complete disarmament”, the sub-item entitled “The illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects”.

62nd plenary meeting
2 December 2014

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1. Report of the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, New York, 9–20 July 2001 (A/CONF.192/15), chap. IV, para. 24.
2. See decision 60/519 and A/60/88 and Corr.2, annex.
3. A/CONF.192/2012/RC/4, annexes I and II.
4. A/69/132.
5. See resolution 67/234 B.
6. See A/62/163 and Corr.1.
7. A/CONF.192/BMS/2014/2.
8. A/CONF.192/2012/RC/4, annex I, sect. III, paras. 1 and 2.