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Home Newsroom News and press releases Forum for Security Co-operation explores UN and OSCE efforts in curbing threat posed by small arms and light weapons
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Forum for Security Co-operation explores UN and OSCE efforts in curbing threat posed by small arms and light weapons

VIENNA, 21 February 2018
Ambassador Radomír Boháč (l-r), Chairperson of the Forum and Permanent Representative of Slovakia to the OSCE, Yann Hwang, Head of the Department for Arms Control at France’s Foreign Ministry and Glenn McDonald, Senior Researcher and Managing Editor at the Small Arms Survey, speak at a meeting of the Forum for Security Co-operation, Vienna, 21 February 2018. (OSCE/Ghada Hazim) Photo details

VIENNA, 21 February 2018 - The United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) in All its Aspects complements the OSCE’s work in this area and both are fundamental to the security and stability of participating States, said speakers at today’s OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation meeting in Vienna, held under Slovakia’s Chairmanship.

“The aim of today’s Security Dialogue is to raise awareness of the UN Programme of Action as an indispensable element in the fight against the uncontrolled and illegal spread of SALW and to illustrate how the Programme thereby contributes to more peace and stability, greater security and a safer environment,” said Ambassador Radomír Boháč, Chairperson of the Forum and Permanent Representative of Slovakia to the OSCE. 

The Security Dialogue was held as preparation for the Third Review Conference on the Programme of Action, which is taking place from 18 to 29 June 2018, in New York City. Held every six years, the review conferences are the main opportunities to assess the overall progress of the implementation of the Programme of Action and aim at bolstering regional as well as international efforts to curb the illicit trade in SALW. 

This year’s review conference is chaired by France.

“Roughly 90 per cent of victims of armed conflicts are victims of SALW,” said Yann Hwang, Head of the Department for Arms Control at France’s Foreign Ministry. “SALW kill more than any other type of weapons in the world. Therefore, it is important to stop the illicit trafficking of weapons and key to mobilize the international community in its entirety. The Programme of Action and its International Instrument are the only universal tools we have to combat the illicit trade of SALW. Regional co-operation is very important in the Programme of Action framework.”

The Programme of Action was adopted in 2000, the same year the OSCE Document on SALW was adopted by OSCE participating States.

Glenn McDonald, Senior Researcher and Managing Editor at the Small Arms Survey emphasized the important synergies that have existed between the OSCE and the Programme of Action in the past and that remain crucial for the Third Review Conference.

He said that in preparing for the Review Conference, UN Member States can, for example, take inspiration from the Best Practice Guide on Deactivation of Small Arms and Light Weapons, adopted today by the Forum for Security Co-operation, in moving forward, at the global level, on this issue.