Disarmament chief asks States to ‘redouble efforts’ to enforce arms embargoes 

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“And the Security Council should telephone connected them to study connected the steps they person taken, to instrumentality applicable measures and to cooperate and stock accusation with the sanctions adept panels”, Izumi Nakamitsu said. 

She was briefing the Security Council on the menace posed by illicit flows of small arms and light weapons in the context of UN peacekeeping operations.  

According to her, these arms “remain a defining origin successful undermining bid and security” and have “deeply aggravated situations for susceptible populations already suffering from conflict.”  

Peace operations 

Where determination is simply a UN peacekeeping presence, this threat can exacerbate conflict, render arms embargoes ineffective, endanger ‘blue helmets’, humanitarian workers and section populations, and complicate bid agreements. 

Ms. Nakamitsu pointed to a growing fig of resolutions that instrumentality relationship of weapons and ammunition management, saying it “is indicative of the UN’s relation successful supporting to the power of those weapons to physique and prolong peace.” 

She highlighted the menace of inadequately maintained stockpiles, saying they represent “serious humanitarian hazards and are a known root of weapons diversion”.  

The High Representative also encouraged the Council to include this issue as portion of conflict prevention measures. 

Children and new technologies 

Ms. Nakamitsu told Council Members that “children proceed to carnivore the brunt of equipped conflict”, often enabled and prolonged by the wide availability of weapons. 

“Thus, each tiny arms and light weapons power initiatives should beryllium carried retired with owed attraction to their potential impacts connected children’s rights and vice versa”, she added.  

She also highlighted new related issues, that warrant the attraction of the Security Council and Member States. 

Emerging technologies that let the production of small arms “may airs novel challenges and opportunities to the effectiveness of tiny arms power measures”, she said, and “should beryllium earnestly considered”. 

She pointed to a shift in arms purchases, in peculiar their parts and components, done the so-called Darknet and online platforms, resulting successful a significant increase successful the usage of postal and courier services, making detection and transgression investigations much difficult. 

Action 

In her briefing, Ms. Nakamitsu highlighted two initiatives launched by the United Nations. 

Firstly, partners of the UN Coordinating Action connected Small Arms (CASA) group, that are processing guidance connected country-level approaches. Second, the Saving Lives Entity (SALIENT), that has begun allocating grants to code the issue. 

She assured that the UN will proceed to advocator for the universalization of the Firearms Protocol and the Arms Trade Treaty, and the afloat implementation of instruments specified arsenic the Programme of Action connected Small Arms and the International Tracing Instrument. 

The organization will also support the decision by the African Union Commission, to widen until 2030 the Master Roadmap of Practical Steps to Silence the Guns and different determination initiatives in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia and the Pacific. 

The Executive Secretary of the Regional Centre connected Small Arms successful the Great Lakes Region, the Horn of Africa and Bordering States (RECSA), Lieutenant General Badreldin Elamin Abdelgadir, and the Senior Researcher astatine the Small Arms Survey, David Lochhead, besides briefed the Council. 

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