Implementing the UN Action Programme: Biting the Bullet - Briefing 15

This briefing in the Biting the Bullet series looks at implementing the UN Action Programme for Combating the Illicit Trafficking in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects.

The UN Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects was the first of its kind, and its achievement in generating political will and momentum for efforts to control small arms light weapons (SALW) is important. Although many of the commitments agreed in its Programme of Action (PoA) are less comprehensive than hoped for, it is clear that the UN Small Arms Conference has contributed to a better understanding of the nature of the illicit trade in SALW and of the particular concerns and priorities of different countries and sub-regions.

The Biting the Bullet (BtB) project published thirteen briefings on issues that were addressed in the final PoA of the UN Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects. The extent to which the recommendations put forward by the BtB project were adopted, varies from issue to issue.