CO_ CHAIRS'
NOTES
Regional Meeting on the Implementation of
the United Nations Program of Action to Prevent Combat and Eradicate
the lllicit Trade in Small Arms and LightWeapons in All Its Aspects:
Looking Towards the2012 Review Conference
Bali,5-6 March20'J,?
'J..
The regionalmeetingon "The Implementationof the UnitedNationsProgramof Action
to Prevent,Combatand Eradicatethe lllicit Trade in SmallArms in Light Weaponsin All
Its Aspects:Looking Towards the 20LZ Review Conference"was held on 5-6 March
20LZ in Bali, Indonesia. Approximately 50 participants attended, representing t9
countriesin the Asian region,includingrepresentativesof the United Nations Officefor
Disarmament Affairs (UN0DA), including its Regional Center for Peace and
Disarmamentin Asia and the Pacific,ASEAN,ASEANAPOL,
ICRC,think tanks, and nongovernmentalorganizations.
The meeting was opened by H.E. AmbassadorHasan Kleib, Director-Generalfor
Multilateral Affairs of the Ministry of ForeignAffairs of the Republicof Indonesia;Mr.
Danidl Prins, Chief of the ConventionalArms Branch of the United Nations Office for
DisarmamentAffairsIUN0DA);and Mr. fan Willem Blankert,SpecialAdvisoron ASEAN,
Delegationof the EuropeanUnion,fakarta.
participatedactivelyin all deliberationsduring the meeting.
Representatives
4. This meeting forms a part of a series of meetingsthat is conductedby the UNODAin
partnership with Member Statesin preparation of the 2012 ReviewConferenceof the
United NationsProgram of Action to Prevent,Combat,and Eradicate the lllicit Trade in
SmallArms and Light Weaponsin AII itsAspects,to be held in New York on 27 Augustto
7 September20L2. The purpose of this regionalmeetingwas to provide a platform to
consider and advance the implementation of the Program of Action [PoA) at the
regional level and to feed into the broad-basedconsultation process of the ChairDesignatein preparationfor the 201,2ReviewConference.
Five main themes were discussedat the regional meeting,namely 1) the overview of
the PoA and the InternationalTracing Instrument (lTI); 2) expectationswith regard to
the 201,2ReviewConference;3) the implementationof the PoAand the ITI at the (sub-)
regionallevel [includingregionalcooperation);4) explanationof the Programof Action
- ImplementationSupport System
[www.poa-iss.org)and its PoA reporting template;
and 5) resourcesand initiatives supportingthe implementationof the PoA and the ITI
at the sub-regionaland nationallevels.
6. The meeting recognizedthat the PoA is an important global instrument for addressing
the serious threats to security and humanity posed by the illicit trade in SALW. It
provides a framework for international cooperation and assistancein the areas of
combating the illicit trade in SALW.Such global efforts require concerted efforts at
national,as well as regionallevels.
7. The meetingnoted the increasinglycross-sectional
nature of the illicit trade of small
arms and light weaponsand the impact that it has on inter alia the issuesof crime,
humanitarianassistance,
internationaltrade,public healthand counter-terrorism,
and
recognizedthat UN Member Statesmust determine how to address the potential
duplicationwhich may stem from discussingthe topic in multiple forums.
8. Somekey topics to be addressedat the upcomingReviewConferencewere identified.
The meetingacknowledgedthat the constructionof a regionalview is a critical fulcrum
in defining Asia's regional priorities.The meeting recognizedthat the provision of
assistanceand cooperation amongst Member States is essential in ensuring the
successfulimplementationof the Programof Action.
9. The meeting noted that in the preparation of the upcoming Review Conference,the
exerciseof full ownershipin nationaland regionalmeetingsis vital.
1,0.Participantswelcomed the presentationsmade by the Director of the UNRCPDand
discussed
the possibleforms of cooperationbetweenStatesof the regionand the RCPD.
lL.Furthermore, the meeting took note of the possible advantagesof linking and
harmonizingsub-regionalprioritiesand processes
regardingsmallarms with the global
of
meetings,
well
to
available
resourcesand initiatives that are
cycle
as
as
optimize
available in the sub-regions,in order to strengthen sub-regional and national
implementationof the PoAand ITI.
1.2.The meeting broke into two separatebreakout sessionsto gather the views of both
ASEAN+3 and the South Asian Associationfor RegionalCooperation(SAARC)subregionalgroups. Summariesof both group discussionsare attached.Thesesummaries
serve only as suggestionsby the participatingregional experts,and therefore,further
discussionwith regardto the contentof the summariesneedto be conductedin a more
formalsetting.