By Eddah Waithaka
Nairobi will host a key meeting of East and Southern African countries to review progress and set priorities to prevent, combat and eradicate the scourge of illicit small arms and light weapons (SALW).
The Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Fourth Review Conference of the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (UN PoA) and its International Tracing Instrument (ITI) will take place from 4 to 5 March.
The meeting will be attended by the President designate of the Fourth Review Conference, Ambassador Maritza Chan Valverde of Costa Rica, and Izumi Nakamitsu, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs.
They will be joined by delegations from over 26 countries in the Eastern and Southern Africa region, as well as regional and sub-regional organisations such as the African Union, the Economic Community of East African States (ECA) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The Regional Preparatory Meeting will be dedicated to promoting an exchange of views on the state of implementation of the UN PoA and ITI and to discussing a number of priorities in preparation for the Fourth Review Conference of the UN PoA (RevCon4), to be held in New York from 17 to 28 June 2024.
Speaking at the event, Home Affairs Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo said: “Small arms and light weapons continue to wreak havoc in communities, fuel conflict, undermine peace and stability,
and hinder socio-economic development in Eastern and Southern Africa and the continent as a whole. “
“The illicit trade in small arms knows no borders and respects no laws, making it imperative for us to strengthen our collaborative efforts at both regional and international levels, ” PS Omollo added.
Therefore, in the face of this growing illicit trade in small arms, Kenya has made a firm commitment to fully implement the Programme of Action and the International Tracing Instrument.
“Our Country recognizes the crucial need to strengthen our national legal and institutional frameworks, enhance border controls, and promote regional cooperation in arms control.”
“We have taken significant steps towards these goals, such as enhancing physical security and stockpile management
of government stockpiles, capacity building of our 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,” the Ps added.
In view of this challenge, States are encouraged to strengthen national ownership of PoA/ITI implementation, including through the use of baseline assessments, the development and implementation of National Action Plans (NAPs) and the setting of voluntary national targets.
Additionally, States should consider using baseline assessments to comprehensively identify strengths, weaknesses and gaps in the national SALW control system as well as opportunities to address these gaps and weaknesses.
Also Read :https://switchmedianews.wordpress.com/2024/02/26/kenya-works-with-development-partners-to-improve-security/
