CIAO DATE: 03/2013
August 2012
The UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (PoA) celebrated its tenth anniversary in July 2011. UN Member States will hold a second twoweek conference in August–September 2012 to review progress made in implementation of the PoA and the International Tracing Instrument (ITI).1 More than a decade after the PoA’s adoption, many stakeholders are now asking: (1) has the PoA been implemented; (2) has such implementation had an impact on the illicit small arms trade, or what difference has it made? Many states called for an assessment of PoA implementation in their 2010 national reports and statements to the Fourth Biennial Meeting of States to Consider Implementation of the PoA (BMS4). Indeed the BMS4 outcome document records that ‘[S]tates also recognized the need for a comprehensive assessment of progress in the implementation of the Programme of Action, 10 years following its adoption, as an input for the 2012 Review Conference’ (UNGA, 2010).
Resource link: The Programme of Action: Implementation Monitor (Phase 1) Assessing Reported Progress [PDF]