weapon stockpiles

Eighth Biennial Meeting of States on Small Arms and Light Weapons

The Biennial Meetings of States have the mandate to consider the national, regional and global implementation of the Programme of Action (PoA) to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects and its International Tracing Instrument (ITI).

Description

In 2001, countries adopted the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (PoA). In it, governments agreed to improve national small arms regulations, to strengthen stockpile management, to ensure that weapons are properly and reliably marked, to improve cooperation in weapons tracing, and to engage in regional and international cooperation and assistance.

Stay apprised of updates and read all relevant documents, including the full agenda and information for NGO participants on the official event page here.

Watch events live from June 27 – July 1, 2022 here: http://media.un.org/en/asset/k1a/k1ape0jwz4

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngodisarm.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Children’s Rights-NY, please visit childrightsny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org.

Future Directions for Gender-sensitive Ammunition Management Processes

As the UN General Assembly receives the Final Report of the Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on problems arising from the accumulation of conventional ammunition stockpiles in surplus, Member States will consider developing a more comprehensive approach to conventional ammunition management processes, one that addresses not only safety but security. One aspect that the GGE highlighted was the “value of considering ammunition management throughout its life cycle, using a gender analysis, in order to identify relevant entry points for gender mainstreaming” (A/76/324, para 81).

While gender analysis has been introduced to address a variety of aspects of small arms control, it has received less attention in the ammunition-specific domain, especially outside of stockpile management concerns. In response to this knowledge gap, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) is implementing a project to promote effective, safe and secure ammunition management through the development of gender-responsive guidance, including in the framework of the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG) and the UN SaferGuard Programme.

Following the release of a briefing paper last year, UNODA and the Small Arms Survey are hosting a virtual event to launch a report that highlights gender considerations throughout the life-cycle management of ammunition, “Gender-sensitive Ammunition Management Processes: Considerations for National Authorities,” on the margins of the First Committee of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly.

The event will highlight the main elements from the publication, as well as provide a brief overview of the life-cycle management of ammunition.

Register here!

The event will be moderated by Takuma Haga, Political Affairs Officer, UN Office for Disarmament Affairs. For more information, please contact Takuma Haga at takuma.haga@un.org.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-NY, please visit ngocsw.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Geneva, please visit ngocsw-geneva.ch. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Vienna, please visit ngocswvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com.

Virtual launch event for Version 3 of the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines

The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs has the pleasure to invite you to attend the Virtual Launch Event for Version 3 of the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines on Thursday, 8 July from 10 AM – 12 PM (noon) Eastern Daylight Time (NY Time).

Register here!

Background info:

The Virtual Launch will feature presentations by technical and policy experts in the field of ammunition management, providing an overview of the key changes to the IATG and the rationale behind them. Experts will also reflect on the importance of the IATG Version 3 in responding to the increasing risk of explosive events at ammunition sites, resulting in grave humanitarian consequences. Over the past 2 years, the IATG have undergone a comprehensive technical review by the UN SaferGuard Technical Review Board. IATG Version 3 comprises 12 thematic series (or volumes), sub-divided into 41 individual modules. In addition to technical updates to existing modules, Version 3 includes two new modules, namely on organizational capabilities (module 01.35) and on airfields (module 8.20).

The International Ammunition Technical Guidelines First developed in 2011 pursuant to the request contained in General Assembly resolution 63/61, the IATG respond to a growing concern at the international level over explosive events at munition sites and the diversion of ammunition from poorly managed and unsecured stockpiles to the illicit market. The IATG are voluntary, practical and technical guidelines that serve as a foundation and reference framework for national authorities to improve the safety, security and effectiveness of their ammunition management policies and practices.

The UN SaferGuard Programme, managed by the Office for Disarmament affairs, functions as the caretaker of the IATG, allowing for holistic oversight and dissemination of the Guidelines and its supporting toolkit. In doing so, it is supported by a Technical Review Board (TRB) and the Strategic Coordination Group. Over the past two years, the TRB has conducted an extensive review of the IATG, resulting in its endorsement of Version 3 of the Guidelines as current, comprehensive and of the highest standards.

For more information, please contact Ingmar Snabilie at ingmar.snabilie@un.org.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. 

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