Press Releases

On Saturday, November 7 (Friday, November 6, EST), the Draft Resolution “The Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects,” submitted by Japan together with Colombia and South Africa and co-sponsored by 85 countries, was adopted by consensus in the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly. The draft resolution will be considered in the plenary session of the General Assembly in December for its formal adoption.

1. The draft resolution underlines the importance for States to prevent, combat and eradicate illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, including their diversion to illegal armed groups among others, through implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (PoA), and to achieve sustainable development as targeted in the Sustainable Development Goals.
2. Encouraging international assistance to promote implementation of PoA, the draft resolution welcomes the Saving Lives Entity (SAILENT), a UN fund established in 2019 to embody the commitment made by Secretary General Antonio Guterres in “An Agenda for Disarmament,” to support government action to tackle small arms and light weapons. Japan contributed two million US dollars to SALIENT in 2019.