Call to do more to prevent arms trafficking, a ‘defining factor’ in undermining peace 

Robin Geiss said that that diversion and trafficking of arms “destabilizes communities and exacerbates situations of insecurity, including by committing superior violations of planetary humanitarian instrumentality and quality rights law, arsenic good arsenic unit against women and children successful assorted contexts”.  

The Council met nether the chairmanship of Mexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard as one of the signature events of Mexico’s November presidency.  

Diversion and trafficking  

As the unrestricted travel of weapons continues to substance violence, it is simply a shared planetary work to question solutions, according to the concept note.  

Throughout the lifecycle of arms and ammunition – from the production stages to their final use – moments exist when they tin beryllium diverted oregon trafficked to non-State equipped groups, criminals and violent actors. 

Mr. Geiss upheld that this “destabilizes communities and exacerbates situations of insecurity, including by committing superior violations of planetary humanitarian instrumentality and quality rights law, arsenic good arsenic unit against women and children successful assorted contexts”. 

While direct effects include deaths, injuries, displacement, and intelligence harm, there are also long-term socio-economic consequences, such as access to wellness and education, the transportation of humanitarian services, and the extortion of civilians. 

For Mr. Geisss, this illicit commercialized is also dynamic and multi-faceted.  

“When loopholes and gaps are closed successful 1 domain, vulnerabilities are exploited in another”, helium said. “States affected by patterns of recurring equipped violence, therefore, face galore challenges to forestall the diversion and misuse of arms”. 

Research-backed solutions

A UNIDIR reappraisal of 200 documented cases highlighted the value of preventing diversion, not only from nationalist stockpiles, but besides from the country that manufactured and exported them.  

“National ownership is fundamental” in this area, said Mr. Geiss, but “will not execute occurrence without planetary practice and assistance”. 

Between 2015 and 2020 the UNIDIR supported 11 States in conducting assessments on weapons and ammunition management, known arsenic WAM.  

Today, the Institute’s chief said, the issue is progressively recognized arsenic a cardinal constituent of conflict and armed violence prevention.  

He cited as examples, the Secretary-General’s tiny arms reports, which regularly feature a section on it and also that it is increasingly reflected successful resolutions adopted by the Security Council. 

Mr. Geiss described present as “an opportune moment” for an planetary dialog to fortify multilateral, regional, and nationalist policies and practices. 

“Advancing a United Nations strategical attack to WAM could further heighten multilateral efforts to present peace, security, stability, and improvement astir the world”, he argued.  

Civil society 

Council Members also heard from María Pía Devoto, who represented Argentina’s Coalición Armas Bajo Control – a coalition of 150 civil society organizations created to implementat the Arms Trade Treaty. 

She upheld that the “devastating impact” of this problem “is felt astir acutely among communities successful conflict-affected regions, wherever these weapons perpetuate a vicious rhythm of unit and insecurity.” 

Ms. Devoto also said that mandatory Security Council arms embargoes are being undermined by violations carried out by non-State actors and even UN members.  

“The astir egregious caller illustration is the Libyan embargo, which, in March this year, was described by the Panel of Experts as ‘totally ineffective’", she recalled, urging Council Members to act, including done sanctions. 

“Mr. President, you and your colleagues person astatine your disposal the tools, cognition and acquisition to combat the illicit trafficking and diversion of tiny arms and airy weapons. It's astir uncovering the governmental volition to bash it”, concluded Ms. Devoto.