RECSA at the Biennial Meeting of States
The UN Office for Disarmament Affairs hosted the third Biennial Meeting of States (BMS3) to review the implementation of the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in all its Aspects from 14th to 18th July 2008 at the UN Headquarters in New York.
This gathering has over the years provided a platform for States and other stakeholders to share ideas on international cooperation to tackle the problem posed by the proliferation of illegal small arms and light weapons.
The Regional Centre on Small Arms (RECSA), which now enjoys Observer Status at the UN, was invited to participate in this year’s meeting. In addition to making statements in the various plenary sessions, RECSA hosted a side event on the theme Arms Marking and Tracing in the Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa (see the below links for the full statements).
RECSA has procured electronic arms marking machines for its 12 Member States who have committed themselves to marking all weapons in State possession by December 2008. Rwanda, for example, has started marking its arms manually. This is an extremely slow exercise! The machines, which will be distributed to the various countries, will speed up the process and enable them to meet the deadline.
The side event comprised a series of presentations and discussions around the theme.
Click the links to view the PDF files.
 Executive Secretary's Remarks International Cooperation
Executive Secretary remarks international cooperation
Executive Secretary's Remarks International Tracing
Executive Secretary remarks international tracing instrument
Es Remarks Side Event
Es remarks side event
Executive Secretary's RemarksIllicit Brokering
ES remarks illicit brokering
Recsa Chairman Statement
English version French version
UN Small Arms Exhibition
Throughout the BMS3 week, RECSA had an exhibition stand to create awareness about its work in the Great Lakes Region, the Horn of Africa, and Bordering States in addressing the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.
The exhibition provided an opportunity to interact with various stakeholders and for the dissemination of various publications on RECSA’s work in addressing the problem posed by the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons.
Regional
Center on Small Arms and Light Weapons (RECSA)
is an institutional framework arising from Nairobi
Declaration to coordinate the joint effort by
National Focal Points in Member States to prevent,
combat and eradicate stockpiling and illicit
trafficking in small arms and light weapons in the
Great Lakes Region and Horn of Africa.
Nairobi Declaration on the Problem of Illicit Small
Arms and Light Weapons in the Great Lakes Region and
the Horn of Africa was signed on the 15th March 2000
by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and / or
Representatives of the Governments of Burundi, DRC,
Djibouti, Ethiopia Eritrea, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan,
Tanzania and Uganda. |
