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The
Geneva Process on Small Arms
Framework Document
The Geneva Process on Small Arms
Making UN Programme of Action Work
Background
The 2001 UN
Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade
in Small
Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects laid
a foundation for action by governments at the national, regional and
global levels. In May 2002, the Geneva Forum launched the Geneva Process
on Small Arms, which focused on promoting and monitoring implementation
of the Programme of Action, sharing information on relevant activities
and initiatives, and helping prepare States for formal UN meetings
to monitor
and evaluate
implementation of the Programme. Between May 2002 and September 2006,
the Geneva Process convened 29 meetings in Geneva, as well as a number
of joint
meetings
in New York with the New York Small Arms Forum. The Geneva Process
proved to be a very effective tool for maintaining momentum around
the issue
of small arms and light weapons and for keeping the attention of States
focused on the task of implementing the Programme of Action.
New Challenges and Opportunities
The outcome of the 2006
Programme of Ac tion Review Conference presents
the international community with a new set of challenges and opportunities.
Among the principal challenges to be met are:
- Strengthening
and accelerating implementation of the Programme of
Action in all countries and regions of the world;
- Ensuring that
UN meetings to monitor and evaluate PoA implementation are as effective
as possible;
- Coordinating
national, regional and global initiatives so that they complement
one another and contribute to the overarching
goal of reducing the
human suffering caused by the proliferation and misuse of small arms
and light weapons.
Among the principal
opportunities to be seized are:
- Learning from
the first five years of efforts to implement the Programme of Action
and applying
these lessons to its future implementation;
- Focusing
the debate firmly on what can be done to mitigate the negative
consequences – for
individuals, communities, states and regions – of
small arms proliferation and misuse.
The Geneva Process on Small Arms
In order to address these and other challenges and opportunities in the
post-Review Conference environment, the Geneva Forum partner organisations
believe that a new, more focused initiative is needed. The principal
objectives of this new working body in the period running up to the
2008 Biennial Meeting of States are: Objectives:
- Promote,
monitor and assess progress towards effective implementation
of the Programme of Action, especially by States participating
in the Geneva Process;
- Help
develop effective mechanisms for assessing needs and
matching them
with resources to facilitate implementation of the Programme
of Action;
- Develop
options and proposals for making biennial meetings of
States as effective as possible
in promoting implementation
of the Programme
of Action;
- Coordinate
and share information on relevant national, regional
and global initiatives related to Programme of Action
implementation in order to
promote and capture synergies across regions and processes.
Focus:
The
Geneva Process will provide practical inputs into ongoing
processes and will focus in particular on issues
related to brokering, transfer
controls, stockpile management and surplus destruction, ammunition,
tracing and reporting on national implementation. Participation:
- Participation
in the Geneva Process is open to all UN Member States
that explicitly endorse the above objectives
and that are willing to invest time
and effort in pursuing them collectively.
States
are the primary participants in the Geneva Process on small
arms. Relevant international bodies and NGOs also
participate on
an equal footing. The initiative strives to maintain a
regional balance in State participation. In order to keep
meetings
small, informal and
focused, each participating State and organisation is represented
at meetings by one person. Modalities:
- Meetings
of the Geneva Process are informal and are held on
a regular basis, approximately once every two months;
- Responsibility
for chairing meetings alternates between governments
and NGOs/IOs. The tenure of the Chair is
approximately three meetings (6
months);
- Meeting
agendas are drafted by a troika of Chairs (most recent,
incumbent and designate) and the Geneva Forum
partner organisations (QUNO, UNIDIR
and PSIS), following consultation with the group as a whole;
- Working-groups
may be established to explore particular issues in
greater depth. These report back to the group
as a whole;
- The
Geneva Forum prepares summary reports
of meetings, which are disseminated to Geneva Process
participants.
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