UNITED NATIONS, Jun 30 (APP): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres praised the adoption of a \u201cstrong outcome document\u201d at the end of a conference dedicated to combating illicit small arms and light weapons worldwide, saying it was an important sign of progress.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe proliferation, diversion and misuse of small arms and light weapons continue to undermine peace, security and sustainable development around the world \u2013 fueling conflict and armed violence and causing devastating human costs\u201d, the UN chief said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The UN chief added that he hoped the commitments regarding small arms would inform discussions at the Summit of the Future in September \u201cto find forward-looking and action-oriented solutions for a more peaceful future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier in the month in a statement to delegates, Guterres noted that the conference was happening at a \u201cdifficult and dangerous moment for humanity\u201d with new conflicts placing millions of people in the line of fire, where light weapons play a major role.<\/p>\n
Small arms are the leading cause of violent deaths and are the weapon of choice in nearly half of all global homicides, according to UN figures.<\/p>\n
The illicit spread of light weapons is accelerating due to new developments in the manufacturing, technology and design of small arms \u2013 including 3D printing.<\/p>\n
The Secretary-General\u2019s New Agenda for Peace policy brief recognizes the importance of small arms control in preventing conflict and building peace. It makes recommendations to strengthen regional, national, and global control efforts on both the supply and demand side.<\/p>\n
During the debate, Pakistan\u2019s UN Ambassador Munir Akram voiced serious concern at the acquisition and use of modern and sophisticated small arms by terrorist groups such as TTP \u2014 a UN-listed terrorist organization \u2014 which reportedly uses safe havens in Afghanistan to launch deadly cross-border attacks inside Pakistan.<\/p>\n
\u201cTerrorists and criminals do not manufacture these arms,\u201d the Pakistani envoy told delegates, pointing out they acquire them from illicit arms markets or receive them from entities that want to destabilize a particular region or country.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is essential to investigate how terrorist groups and criminal organizations acquire such sophisticated weapons,\u201d Ambassador Akram said. \u201cIt is the responsibility of all States and the UN to take measures to prevent illicit trade, transfer and diversion of these arms.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also said that the illicit proliferation, excessive accumulation and misuse of small arms and light weapons continue to exacerbate conflicts, fuel terrorism, threaten peace and security and erode sustainable development, with hundreds of thousands of human lives lost each year, terrible suffering inflicted on civilians, and economies and societies devastated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS, Jun 30 (APP): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres praised the adoption of a \u201cstrong outcome document\u201d at the end of a conference dedicated to combating illicit small arms and light weapons worldwide, saying it was an important sign of progress. \u201cThe proliferation, diversion and […]<\/p>\n
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