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Mr. President,
My delegation warmly congratulates you on your election as President of this
Review Conference. We acknowledge with appreciation your skills and acumen in
carrying out the consultations including on the draft final document for this
Conference. I assure you of our full support and cooperation in ensuring the
success of this important undertaking.
Mr. President
2. Five years ago, the adoption of the Programme of Action represented a
political commitment by all States to address concerns arising from the illicit
trade in small arms and light weapons. Today, we reaffirm that commitment to
fully implement the PoA.
3. Since 2001, Pakistan has pursued a proactive policy to combat and eradicate
the illicit small arms and light weapons. We have submitted two comprehensive
National Reports which lay out in detail the national policy framework as well
as actions and our contribution to the Implementation of the Programme of Action
at the regional and international level.
Mr. President,
4. This Conference has a clear mandate from the General Assembly i.e. to review
the progress made in the implementation of the UN Programme of Action to
Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons
(SALW) in all its aspects. We shall work constructively with other delegations
on the basis of this mandate.
5. The Programme of Action outlined a broad range of actions to be taken by
States at the national, regional and international levels. International
assistance and cooperation was determined as a key tool to promote national,
regional and global efforts. As many delegations have noted before me, indeed
much progress has been achieved by States in the last five years in implementing
their commitments under the PoA.
Mr. President
6. Twice since 2001, more than 100 National Reports were submitted by States.
Over 130 points of national contacts have been designated to coordinate
activities related to SALW. A vast majority of States have reported progress in
putting together various legislative and administrative frameworks; large
numbers of illicit weapons have been collected and destroyed; the security of
stockpile management enhanced and record-keeping improved and controls over
exports including end-user certificates strengthened. Above all, an enhanced
level of public and government awareness has been achieved to understand and
address the multi-faceted and complex nature of SALWs.
7. The conclusion and adoption of Marking and Tracing Instrument last year was
an important indicator of the progress made in the implementation of PoA. The
convening of the Group of Governmental Experts to consider further steps to
enhance international cooperation in preventing, combating and eradicating
illicit brokering in small arms indicates forward movement in PoA
implementation. A number of regional initiatives have also been taken in some
parts of the world to advance SALW agenda.
Mr. President
8. Yet, there are challenges as well, including in the areas where progress has
been registered. One of the key challenge areas is the continuing lack of
adequate provision of financial and technical assistance, particularly to
developing countries. It is the lack of an effective international assistance
and cooperation framework which has prevented a large majority of States to draw
up necessary legislation and implement administrative procedures. It is
primarily for this reason that capacity building of security and law enforcement
and border control agencies of a number of countries has lagged behind and the
larger issues of underdevelopment and poverty remain un-addressed. We hope that
this Conference would take on board the elements contained in the Non-Aligned
Movement paper on international assistance and cooperation.
9. Challenges also persist among States in the approach and modus operandi of
combating the illicit trade in SALW. As we have stated before, the entire debate
and policy prescriptions by many continue to be dominated by a supply
perspective. The Conference would do well to pay equal attention and action to
address the demand factors, particularly the existence of wars and conflicts. In
our view, as long as conflicts and disputes fester, and solutions to them are
not found, the demand for weapons will remain strong.
Mr. President
10. As we take up your composite non-paper which contains a compilation of views
expressed by States, it would be vital for this Conference to convey a message
that our priority must remain to attack the underlying causes of conflict. In
this context, reiterating the implementation of the Charter principles on
conflict prevention and dispute resolution would be crucial. This would accord
with the objective of eliminating a major source of demand for weaponry. It
would also go a long way in fulfilling the promise of UN Charter to make our
Organization a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment
of the common goals of strengthening peace and security in conditions of
economic and social progress.
11. In addition, the Review Conference should discuss and agree on the following
vital areas of PoA implementation:
One: To identify areas where States are facing implementation challenges and
propose practical measures to address those challenges;
Two: Discuss possibilities of a survey by UNIDIR to assess and quantify the
scope and scale of the supply and demand problems of the SALW; and
Three: Draw up recommendations to address those problems including modalities of
financing, disbursement of financial and technical assistance required by
States. Such measures can be recommended at all three levels identified in the
PoA i.e. at the national, regional and global levels.
12. The Programme of Action affirmed the right of self-determination of all
peoples under foreign occupation; it acknowledges their right of self-defence
and stresses the need for peaceful resolution of disputes. We hope the
Conference will appropriately reflect the progress made on these elements.
Mr. President
13. My delegation attaches great importance to keeping the consensus spirit with
which the small arms issues have so far been treated and agreed. We hope that
our proceedings in the coming days would be guided by this spirit. This would
enable us to focus on consolidating the gains made so far by States rather than
accentuating disagreements over the small arms agenda. We hope that the
Conference would be able to maintain the spirit of solidarity and consensus as
States fulfill their existing commitments under the PoA, the recently adopted
Instrument on Marking and Tracing and the related obligations under the UN
Firearms Protocol.
14. There are of course areas where more could be done. But we must temper our
ambitions with perseverance and prudence. The SALW issues are complex and
require further deliberations to enable all States to evolve common
understanding and agreement. The PoA consensually worked out a delicate balance
between humanitarian concerns and the legitimate security concerns of all
States. It rightly focused on “illicit trade”. This balance and focus should be
sustained. We must not allow our ambitions to subject the SALW agenda to the
deadlock being witnessed in the larger arms control framework.
I thank you Mr. Co-Chairman