Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

The widespread availability and illicit proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) are key drivers and enablers of armed conflicts, violent extremism, and expansion of terrorism, the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs has said.

As a result, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu has said measures need to be taken to disrupt the supply of such arms to terrorist and other transnational criminal groups.

“Adequate small arms control is a crucial means of reducing armed violence, preventing conflict and building peaceful and inclusive societies — without which sustainable development cannot happen,” Nakamitsu said.

The UN official was speaking in Nairobi where a pivotal gathering of Eastern and Southern African countries is meeting to review progress made and set priorities for preventing, combating and eradicating the scourge of illicit SALW.

Meeting, dubbed Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Fourth Review Conference on the UN Programme of Action (UN PoA) and its International Tracing Instrument, was officially opened by the Interior Principal Secretary Dr Raymond Omollo.

Omollo said Kenya has strengthened the national legal and institutional frameworks, enhanced border controls, and promoted regional cooperation to eradicate illicit SALW. The country has also improved the capacity for firearms tracing, marking, and record-keeping to reduce illegal possession, misuse, and trafficking of such arms and their ammunition.

The government has also enhanced physical security and stockpile management of government stockpiles, according to the PS. Kenya hosts the Regional Centre on Small Arms and Light Weapons and has been active in developing strategies to curb the supply and demand of SALW.

In June last year, Kenya also took over the chairmanship of RECSA following a unanimous endorsement from the representatives of 15-Member States.

“Other measures include capacity building of law enforcement agencies on national and other international guidelines on small arms control, and investing in modern technologies and equipment to enhance our border surveillance capabilities,” Omollo said.

In attendance are President Designate of the Fourth Review Conference, Amb Maritza Chan Valverde and delegations from over 26 countries from the Eastern and Southern Africa region. Also, in attendance are delegates from regional and sub-regional organisations such as the African Union, Economic Community of East African Community and the Southern African Development Community .

Meeting seeks to foster exchange of views on the state of implementation of the UN PoA and ITI, and also discuss a set of priorities in preparation for UN PoA’s conference scheduled to take place in New York from June 17 to 28. It also seeks to identify region-specific challenges and discuss priorities for the review conference and will include developing effective national policies, identifying and developing strategies to curb supply and demand of such weapons.

A similar meeting for West and Central African States took place in Lomé, Togo, from February 29 to March 1.

The UN PoA, adopted in 2001, is a politically binding framework and contains commitments by Member States to enhance control measures over small arms, including through improved national regulations, stockpile management, import/export controls and international cooperation.

Introduction of ITI in 2005 further strengthened this framework, by emphasising the need for effective marking and record-keeping of weapons, thus aiding in their traceability.

These measures are integral to the global effort to address challenges posed by the illicit arms trade and align with objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

PS Omollo, however, said for Kenya, the effective implementation of these measures required more than just local efforts but also sustained political will, adequate resources, and enhanced international cooperation and assistance.

The PS warned small arms and light weapons continue to wreak havoc in communities, fuel conflicts, undermine peace and stability, and hinder socio-economic development across East and Southern Africa and the continent at large.