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UN Conference on Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons

Determining the Strategies for Bangladesh

by Brig (Retd) Shahedul Anam Khan, ndc, psc
***Bangladesh needs to devise her strategies keeping the ground reality in focus as well as the likely scope and the aims and objectives of UN 2001 Conference in mind. The government ought to involve its various agencies and institutions, NGOs, and civil society in formulating Bangladesh’s own plan of action in this reTHE UN Secretary General had noted in his report to the Millennium Assembly that the death toll from small arms dwarfed that from all other weapons systems, and that in most years, it greatly exceeded the toll from the atomic bombs that devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The proliferation of small arms was not merely a security issue, but one of human rights and development. The report also noted that there was still no global non-proliferation mechanism to limit their spread, as there was for chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.
To redeem the situation the United Nations will convene the 'UN Conference on the Illicit trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its As-pects" in June/ July 2001. “The ‘2001 conference is now the primary focus for international efforts to strengthen and develop coordinated and comprehensive global action to prevent and reduce the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons."
Thus, the proposed conference hopes to bring together. “A powerful coalition of states. International organisations and civil society groups to promote effective global action to prevent and reduce small arms and light weapons proliferation and combat illicit trafficking in such weapons."
Aims and Objectives of UN 2001 Conference
The very decision of the UNGA that.’ “ the scope of the conference shall be the illicit trade in small arms in all its aspects." invests the Conference with a wide mandate while keeping the scope in a narrow locus i.e. ‘illicit trade of small arms'. The task of formulating an agenda and the scope was entrusted on the Preparatory Committee which was requested. among other matters.
to make recommendations to the Conference on all relevant matters, including the objective. a draft agenda, drait rules ol procedure and draft tinal documents. The committee held its first session iron) 28 Feb to 3 Mar 2000 in New York II also decided to hold its second session from 8 to 19 January 2001 at New York Headquarters, and the third from 19 to 30 March 2001.
Although the detail agenda is yet to be finalised, it could be presumed that the major recommendations contained in the two reports of the UN Panel of Experts (1997 and 1999) would fall within the scope of the UN Conference since the element of consensus regarding the scope of the 2001 Conference has already been provided in the 1999 report of the UN Group on Small Arms.' The ultimate alm of the conference would be to formulate an International Action Programme that would “establish and develop a set of International norms and standards in the areas covered by the 2001 Conference and to establish a frame work within which international efforts can be subsequently developed in a sustained and coordinated way."
Preparatory Committee Meetings
It would be appropriate at this point to briefly look at the tone and tenor of the first Preparatory Committee' meeting. On the scope of the Conference, a strong case for a comprehensive approach in tackling this issue was made.
Since the causal links of the problem was multifarious it was argued that the “mandate of the Conference should cover a wide range of Issues such as the illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons; the legal trade In those weapons; the negative effects of widespread access to small arms on socioeconomic development and human security; Increased transparency In arms transfers; and the interrelationship between illicit trafficking, smuggling and the legal trade in small arms”.
By the same token, a number of delegates felt that, given the diversity of situations, such elements as economic and social development, and human rights standards of governments should not be discussed, as that could lead to an over-politicised debate and could put at risk any success in combating the Illicit trade in small arms
While some made a case for bringing in the Issue of legal transfer under the ambit of the 2001 Conference there were arguments against enlarging the footprint of the UNGA mandate and instead to keep the focus exclusively on the illicit trade in small arms in all its aspects. Otherwise, it was felt, the whole range of Issues of state sovereignty, particularly the right of a State to develop its own defence system for its legitimate national security needs as also the legitimate rights of States to own, produce and transfer small arms, as they represented an indispensable means to safeguard national defence and domestic law and or-
der ' would crop up.
Some delegates felt that a successful outcome of the Conference would be acceptam c ol a plan of action with a timetable for Implementation. Some of the elements highlighted in such a plan might Include supply and demand; State responsibility; and developing agreed norms for the security ana safe management of arms stockpiles being held by State authorities or State authorised entitles.
Several delegates expressed the view that the final document of the Conference should include a political declaration setting out a framework for future cooperation and action. It should Identify elements that would encourage future cooperation and facilitate regional action, such as information exchange. strengthening national laws and regulations, management of stockpiles and improvement in the system of tracing illicit arms flows.
Bangladesh’s Approach
Recognising this phenomenon as being not only national but a regional and global Issue also. Bangladesh needs to formulate her strategies in order to make her participation in the said UN Conference worthwhile and fruitful and future plan of action relevant and workable.
Internal, regional as well as global dynamics have their respective inputs in the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. Isolated actions will not onh be futile. It max prove counterproductive. As such we need to take our regional part-
ners on board, since regional initiative will form a very important adjunct of whatever global plan of action is devised.
This problem cannot be tackled from only one perspective. There are at least three different but overlapping perspectives. There are those who view the Issue through an arms control and disarmament lens, and those who view it through a crime control and criminal justice lens. There are also those who view the issue through a peace-building and human security lens, seeing the proliferation — as symptomatic of conflict, poverty, under-development and despair — that a coherent approach is needed. Without such an approach any piece-meal effort — will only Inevitably meet with limited success.
Two Important aspects of the issue emerge from the foregoing comments. One Is the universality of the problem i.e. that it cannot be combated in isolation or single handedly by individual states. The solutions will have to be conceived and implemented in consonance and cooperation with the international community at large, particularly with our neighbours. The other equally important aspect is that it must be tackled in a comprehensive manner, where security should be synonymous to development and where the objectives of the efforts of both must be coterminous.
Our emphasis must therefore be on comprehensive approach in addressing this issue because. "the problems of proliferation and excessive accumu-
lation of small arms is complex and multidimensional one, and there Is no simple solution. It highlights domestic and regional security-concerns and exhibits humanitarian and development related components".
Both the demand and supply side of Illicit trade, as well as measures restraining illicit transit flows would have to be addressed. On the demand side we must go Into the reasons that cause a thriving market to exist. The tension areas, the khiu-try specific problems, and the soc io-ec onomk conditions need to be addressed On the supply side the grey and black market operation must be looked into.
While there will be difference of opinion on bringing in the issue of legal transfer under the ambit of the Conference 2001, arguments to strengthen controls on legal transfer of such weapons to prevent them from being diverted Into illicit markets, stand on very strong grounds. However, control on legal transfer must not stand In the way of serving a nation's national security Interests. ,
Bangladesh needs to devise her strategies keeping the ground reality in focus as well as the likely scope and the alms and objectives of UN 2001 Conference In mind. The government ought to involve its various agencies and Institutions. NGOs. and civil society In formulating Bangladesh's own plan of action in this regard, so that our input could be posited to the two Preparatory* Committee Meetings that are to be held in January* and March 2001.
Also, the nature of the problem holds strong rationale for evolving a common SAARC position for UN 2001 Conference.
The author is former Director General of Bangladesh Institute of International Strategic Studies.gard.***