§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What practical and detailed issues they will be raising at the biennial review of the United Nations programme of action on illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in July 2003. [HL3267]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanThe format of the biennial meeting (New York, 7–11 July) does not 135WA allow for states to make substantive proposals. But it will be a useful opportunity to take work forward with partners within the framework of the UN. The UK is therefore planning, in partnership with other interested states, to hold a side meeting on 8 July to discuss options for strengthening consensus on the need for regulation of small arms transfers. This is a sensitive issue for many states. Continuing this work within the framework of the UN is particularly important, and the UK is committed to the process. The aim of the side meeting is to gather support for launching a regionally based process to share more widely understanding on national implementation of export controls of small arms, with the aim of reporting back findings at the 2005 biennial meeting. We also hope the July 2003 biennial meeting will focus on the linkages between small arms proliferation and poverty and issues around disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) in general.
Weapons collection and destruction is a central part of the UK strategy on small arms and light weapons. We have allocated £7.5 million over three years to the United Nations Development Programme for a global programme on weapons collection, management and destruction. The UK is aware of the wide availability of weapons in Iraq and regards this as a serious and urgent issue. We are in discussion bilaterally and with UN agencies on how best to address this issue.