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UN group on illicit arms offers recommendations on national laws

UN group on illicit arms offers recommendations on national laws

A United Nations group of experts dealing with illicit arms brokering has produced a series of recommendations for combating the trade through legislation.

The United Nations Group of Governmental Experts to consider further steps to enhance international cooperation in preventing, combating and eradicating illicit brokering in small arms and light weapons forged its proposals during an 8 June meeting, where it also called for consistent attention to the issue at future UN gatherings.

In a consensus report, the experts also furnished the first agreed description of what constitutes illicit brokering in small arms.

The description is seen as fundamental to any efforts to enhance international cooperation to combat illicit brokering in small arms, according to a news release from the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs. It includes closely related activities such as transportation and financing, paving the way for a holistic approach to tackling illicit arms brokering.

The Disarmament Office predicted that the report would “form the basis for dedicated attention to illicit arms brokering at future UN meetings on small arms.”

The Group, which was established by the General Assembly in 2005, is composed of 25 experts from Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Egypt, Finland, France, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Romania, Senegal, South Africa, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States.