Informal Meeting on Transfer Control Principles for Small Arms and Light Weapons

About the Meeting

The proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons fuels armed conflict and crime, hampers humanitarian assistance and impedes sustainable development, resulting in the loss of more than 1,000 lives each day. Strengthening the global regulatory framework governing the transfer of small arms and light weapons has great potential to mitigate this situation and is a priority for many States.

Canada is working at the global, regional, national, and community levels to tackle the problems stemming from the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons, while respecting the legitimate interests of firearms owners, producers, brokers and retailers.

Consistent with Section III of the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (Programme of Action), this meeting is intended to provide an opportunity to engage in open, constructive dialogue in order to advance implementation of the Programme of Action.

Objectives

The primary objective of the meeting is to identify and/or refine global principles to govern the transfer of small arms and light weapons throughout the world, building upon previous work done by governments and civil society. There will also be significant attention to matters critical to the implementation of such principles.

Specific discussion items will include:

• the nature of transfer controls and existing transfer control frameworks concerning small arms and light weapons;
• transfer controls principles and their application;
• capacity development and resource mobilization to implement small arms and light weapons transfer controls, including international cooperation and assistance; and
• consideration of possible next steps.

Participation

Participation will be by invitation and will include States, relevant UN agencies, international and regional organizations and non-governmental organizations.

Civil society participation will be limited to representatives of accredited organizations with relevant mandates and limited to the number that can be accommodated.

Organization

Canada, as host, will chair the meeting.

The working language of the meeting will be English. Oral interpretation will also be available in Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish.

The first day of the five-day meeting will be dedicated to a broad survey of work to date on transfer controls for small arms and light weapons. The second and third days will focus on principles reflected in various documents. The fourth and part of the fifth day will focus on capacity development, resource mobilization and other factors critical to the practical application of transfer control principles. The latter part of the final day will be devoted to a discussion of possible next steps.

As this will not be a decision making forum, agreement on principles or approaches will neither be sought nor expected.

Although the interventions of States will be accorded priority, time will be allocated to allow other participants to contribute to all sessions of the meeting.

In order to reserve as much time as possible for the informal exchange of views, States are requested not to make national statements.

In keeping with the informal nature of the meeting, participants are encouraged to enjoy business casual attire.

Funding

The meeting will be funded on a voluntary basis by States.

Canada will make a significant contribution and invites other States in a position to do so to help defray some of the meeting costs.

Meeting Outcome

The highlights of the event will be reflected in a Chair's Summary that will be widely disseminated in the weeks following the meeting and reported back to the next Biennial Meeting of States, scheduled to be held no later than 2008.