Taking stock of action on the illicit small arms trade: As the PoA approaches 20, what have we learned?

Small Arms Survey Online Forum Inventory 1 (High-level opening panel)

By: Emilia Dungel and Paul Holtom

Next year marks the twentieth anniversary of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects (PoA). The opening panel of the Small Arms Survey 2020 online forum ‘Taking stock of action on the illicit small arms trade’ therefore reflected on the impact of this landmark document on action to address illicit small arms proliferation during the past two decades. This blog post provides a short snapshot of the opening panel discussions on the PoA achievements thus far:

Four key achievements

1. Improved national legislation

Although the PoA is a politically, not legally, binding instrument, it is the only global framework for tackling the small arms problem throughout the life cycle. As such, it is essential for propelling action on the ground. One example of such action is the strengthening of national legislation controlling different aspects of the small arms life cycle — ranging from manufacture to brokering to destruction.

2. Destruction of surplus stocks

One very concrete achievement under the PoA is that more and more states now view surplus stocks as liabilities rather than assets. The PoA has provided impetus to efforts around the world to destroy such small arms in order to minimize the risk of diversion.

3. Multilateral momentum

The community of practice that has emerged from the PoA, and various related multilateral and regional instruments, serves to boost cooperation between states, regional organizations, as well as with civil society. This cooperation in turn ensures that different perspectives are taken into account and increases the potential for multilateral cooperation to tackle small arms challenges.

4. A comprehensive approach for emerging challenges

New technologies, the crime-terror nexus, and the impact on development all call for solutions that look beyond the traditional small arms and security policy fields. The PoA framework provides opportunities for sharing information on effective solutions.

Four key lessons learned

1. National ownership and good governance

National ownership is essential for creating sustainable impact on the ground. Policy-makers need to ensure that national frameworks are ready and flexible enough to enable states to tackle existing and emerging issues.

2. Resource mobilization

The PoA has made states realize that they need to allocate sufficient resources to implement the PoA and tackle the illicit small arms trade in all its aspects. Evidence-based policies that drive funding towards the small arms issue should remain high on the agenda for all states, even in times such as these when national budgets are under extreme pressure. In such contexts, effective cooperation is critical — not just between states, but also between parliamentarians and civil society within national borders.

3. Breaking silos

One of the key messages of the third PoA Review Conference was repeated again — the need to promote synergies and partnerships. There is still work to be done to strengthen the exchange of best practices and avoid duplicating efforts.

4. Holistic approach

A key achievement of the PoA is its emphasis on a comprehensive and holistic approach. The ongoing work by UNODA to revitalize the Coordination Action on Small Arms (CASA) is welcome in this regard. This should lead to more synergies and coordinated action on the ground.

The speakers in this panel were:

• Chair: Daniel de Torres, Small Arms Survey
• Ambassador Jean-Claude Brunet, President of RevCon3
• Adedeji Ebo, Chief of the Conventional Arms Branch, UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA)
• Simonetta Grassi, Head of the Firearms Programme, UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC )
• Baffour Amoa, Chair of the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) Advisory Council