Fourteenth progress report on the implementation of the EU Strategy to combat illicit accumulation and trafficking of SALW and their ammunition (2012/II)

2013/C 138/03

I.   INTRODUCTION

The fourteenth progress report on the implementation of the SALW Strategy covers EU activities during the second half of 2012 (from 1 July 2012 until 31 December 2012). The report was prepared by the EEAS Division for Non-Proliferation and Disarmament in cooperation with other relevant EEAS and European Commission services. During the reporting period, the EU continued to promote the issue of small arms and light weapons (SALW) in all multilateral fora and in its political dialogue with third countries in the context of relevant international instruments, such as the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects. In particular, the EU actively participated in the July 2012 UN negotiations on an Arms Trade Treaty, and in the August 2012 Second Review Conference on the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects. Over the period, the EU also continued the implementation of several projects related to the prevention of SALW illicit trade and excessive accumulation, and started the elaboration of new initiatives to be further developed over the next months.

II.   IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ACTION PLAN CONTAINED IN THE EU SALW STRATEGY

II.1.   Effective multilateralism to develop universal, regional and national mechanisms to counter the supply and destabilising spread of SALW and their ammunition

(a)   Implementation of the 2001 UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects

The EU actively participated in the United Nations Conference to Review Progress Made in the 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), which held its session from 27 August until 7 September 2012 in New York.

On the basis of an EU Working Paper, which was adopted at Council level and submitted to the Review Conference (available at: http://www.poa-iss.org/RevCon2/documents/), the EU took an active part in the negotiations on a declaration, on the implementation plans for the PoA and the International Tracing Instrument as well as on the plan for the PoA meetings in the next six years. The EU welcomed the fact that the Review Conference was able to reach consensus on these outcome documents and is convinced that the results of the Conference will help all relevant actors to strengthen the full and effective implementation of the PoA in the future.

In the framework of the Council Decision in support of activities of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs to implement the PoA (Council Decision 2011/428/CFSP of 18 July 2011), activities continued to improve the online Implementation Support System (http://www.poa-iss.org), in particular with regard to the ‘matching needs with resources’ tool in order to help coordinate international efforts to effectively implement the PoA. On 14 and 15 August 2012, a regional seminar on the implementation of the PoA for subregions of Africa took place in Nairobi in order to advance the implementation of the PoA at regional level and assist in the preparations for the Second Review Conference on the PoA. At the seminar, an outcome document was adopted on the basis of in-depth discussions on the themes of the draft outcome documents of the Review Conference.

The subregional groupings consisting of Member States of ECOWAS, RECSA, SADC and ECCAS also developed their own outcome on subregional priorities which was annexed to the main document. Plans for a regional meeting with the League of Arab States on the regional implementation of the PoA and the results of the Second Review Conference are ongoing.

(b)   Arms Trade Treaty

The EU continued to attach high priority to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) process in the second half of 2012. The ATT process reached a crucial stage with the convening of the July 2012 UN Conference mandated to negotiate the Treaty.

Throughout the period of 2011-2012, the European Union and its Member States closely supported and participated in the UN-led Arms Trade Treaty process. In preparation for the July 2012 UN Conference, a dedicated subgroup of the COARM and CODUN working groups has met regularly to share views and coordinate positions, thereby allowing the EU to continue to be a very active and visible player in the ATT process. On the basis of EU coordinated positions, the EU and its Member States took an active part in the negotiations in July 2012 and held extensive consultations with third countries, in particular major arms-manufacturing, exporting, and importing countries, and with the Chairman of the UN Conference.

While recognising that significant progress was reached at the UN Conference, the EU regrets that no agreement on a final text of the Treaty could be reached. Strong efforts will continue to be made towards the early and successful conclusion of the negotiating process at the final UN conference in March 2013, which will complete negotiations on the basis of the draft treaty of 26 July 2012.

Following the completion of Council Decision 2010/336/CFSP of 14 June 2010, promoting the ATT process through the organisation of a series of world-wide regional seminars, the EU started working on the preparation of a new Council decision to be adopted in early 2013 and aiming at facilitating preparation among UN Member States to the March 2013 Conference and promote implementation and universalisation of the ATT once agreed.

(c)   Implementation of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC) Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms

Through the Instrument for Stability (IfS) long-term component, a three-year (March 2011-February 2014) project to prevent and counter transnational illicit trade in firearms by promoting the ratification and implementation of the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, their Parts and Components and Ammunition, supplementing the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime, continued in the second half of 2012. The geographical scope of the project encompasses West Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Togo), South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay) and the Caribbean (Jamaica). Technical assistance was provided on legislative harmonisation and capacity-building on SALW management in line with the aim of promoting the ratification and implementation of the Firearms Protocol in Latin America, the Caribbean and West Africa. The project also raises awareness on SALW issues to enhance civil society participation and oversight in this area. Foreseen activities include the conduct of a study on transregional trafficking of firearms which will provide partner countries with evidence to support policy making. The project is implemented by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

In the framework of the IfS long-term component, the EU is also providing financial assistance to Interpol for the development and roll out of a database for tracking and tracing lost/stolen firearms (iARMS) via the Interpol I24/7 system.

The pilot roll out (2011-2012) focused on the same regions as the UNODC project and also included additional European countries (Czech Republic, Croatia, Portugal, Spain). The project aims at contributing to the combat against trafficking in firearms by improving regional and transregional information exchange on illicit firearms. A contract for a second phase of IfS long-term support to Interpol’s iARMS system was agreed in December 2012 to commence in January 2013 (2013-2014) when the first phase of support ended. The second phase aims at enhancing the functionality of the system and at making iARMS available to all 190 Interpol members. The project also foresees related capacity-building, training and criminal intelligence services on combating firearms-related crime.

(d)   Export controls

Following the completion of implementation of Council Decision 2009/1012/CFSP, in the first half of 2012, a thorough assessment of the Council Decision and its impact was conducted, with a view to the development of a new series of outreach and assistance activities. This process led to the adoption of Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP foreseeing a new series of activities in support of third countries, including regional seminars, study visits, staff exchanges, and individual assistance. The implementation of the Council Decision will start in early 2013.

(e)   Illicit trade in SALW by air

In the framework of Council Decision 2010/765/CFSP on EU action to counter the illicit trade of SALW by air, which aimed at improving tools and techniques for international and national actors to effectively screen and target suspect aircrafts likely to be involved in the illicit trade of SALW, implementation of the project by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) continued until 30 December 2012.

An expert seminar with a focus on UN sanctions and air trafficking took place at the United Nations in New York on 28 and 29 August 2012. The event brought together around 100 experts in the fields of sanctions monitoring, civil aviation, peacekeeping, crisis management, disarmament, aviation intelligence, proliferation, export control, defence, law enforcement, customs and security. Another expert seminar with a focus on air trafficking and peacekeeping took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 30 and 31 October 2012 with the participation of international, regional, and national experts as well as representatives from the African Union (AU), other regional organisations and States from affected areas. Both seminars helped to establish best practices in the field of effective information-sharing, tools and techniques for the better monitoring and detection of air cargo actors engaged in destabilising commodity flows as well as sanctions monitoring and trafficking investigation techniques within peacekeeping environments. Recommendations from the series of expert seminars included providing the groups or panels of experts supporting the work of the United Nations Sanctions Committees with more permanent tools and resources.

The Aircraft Monitoring Assessment System software and databases were updated to reflect the threat picture as it relates to the increasing levels of conflict in the Sahel and Syria towards the end of the projects' implementation period. Finally, an arms trafficking via air detection manual was published and disseminated during briefings and events held in the latter half of 2012.

II.2.   SALW in the framework of political dialogue with third countries and regional organisations, SALW clauses

SALW issues were included in the agenda of a number of the EU's regular political dialogues with third countries and cooperation with regional organisations. Political dialogue meetings on non-proliferation, disarmament and arms control issues were organised at Council Working Group level with the Republic of Korea (Vienna, 18 September 2012) and Ukraine (Brussels, 6 November 2012) and informal consultations were held, inter alia, with India, Japan, South Africa and other countries on a regular basis. An EU-27-US dialogue covering all important topics of the non-proliferation, disarmament and arms control agenda took place in Brussels on 17 December 2012.

In line with the Council Conclusions on the inclusion of a SALW element in agreements between the EU and third countries adopted in December 2008, SALW elements are currently being negotiated with Afghanistan, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mercosur, New Zealand and Singapore for inclusion in their respective agreements with the EU.

II.3.   Specific EU project assistance to third countries and regional organisations

(a)   Western Balkans

(b)   OSCE region

In October 2012, the EU adopted a Council Decision in support of activities to reduce the risk of the illicit trade in and excessive accumulation of SALW in the OSCE region (Council Decision 2012/662/CFSP). This Council Decision will lead, inter alia, to security upgrades of SALW stockpile storage sites in Belarus and Kyrgyzstan, the destruction of surplus SALW in these two countries to prevent their diversion to the illegal trade, and the introduction of a SALW inventory management application to improve stockpile, record-keeping and tracing of SALW in several OSCE States.

(c)   Africa

(d)   Central America

The EU continued the implementation of a project supporting the Central American Small Arms and Light Weapons Control Programme (CASAC). Through the Instrument for Stability long-term component, the project, which was previously implemented by UNDP, entered its second phase of support in September 2012 with the Security Commission of the Central American Integration System (SICA) as its implementing partner. The contribution of the EU project to the CASAC initiative aims at establishing the foundation for a regional structure and long-term strategy to fight the illicit trafficking of arms in Central America, both at national and regional level.

The project is implemented in Central America and neighbouring countries, including the Caribbean region (particular focus is put on Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama). Main activities include regional and national public awareness campaigns and conferences, strengthening of national coordination mechanisms and registry systems, and cross-border projects as well as training in various areas.

Moreover, the Instrument for Stability short-term component is also supporting the Instituto de Enseñanza para el Desarrollo Sostenible in the implementation of the SALW-related parts of the Central America Security Strategy.