Vienna (Austria), 18 April 2024. How can States and civil society work together to develop stronger and coordinated responses to the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms? How can States better harmonize their national frameworks and related criminal offences to implement the UN Firearms Protocol more effectively? Representatives from 65 stakeholders including civil society organizations, academia and the private sector as well as delegates from 37 States and 2 international and regional organizations gathered in Vienna on 5 April 2024 to discuss ways for stepping up their cooperation to strengthen the implementation of the UN Firearms Protocol and build stronger and coordinated responses to the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms.
The panel discussions focused on how to operationalize the Firearms Protocol in view of the emerging threats posed by the misuse of new technological developments and on the implementation of article 5 of the Protocol on criminalization of the related offenses.
The Constructive Dialogue offered also the opportunity to discuss the progress, challenges and lessons learned related to the implementation review of the UN Firearms Protocol within the framework of the UNTOC Review Mechanism.
Currently, 47 country reviews related to the implementation review of the Firearms Protocol are progressing. Gabriele Aiello, Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer at the UNTOC Review Mechanism Secretariat, reported on the efforts made by States parties under review to involve civil society in the preparation of the responses to the self-assessment questionnaires. “Fostering the engagement of civil society in the process in line with the Mechanism’s procedures is a priority for the Secretariat. We work as a team with the UNODC Civil Society Unit to enable the expansion of the collaboration between States and stakeholders” he highlighted.
At the Dialogue, many participants stressed on the need for States to join efforts with civil society to ensure coordinated action against the illicit manufacturing of and the trafficking in firearms. In that respect, Ambassador José Antonio Zabalgoitia, Chair of the Constructive Dialogue on Firearms, noted: “Just as no single country can defeat organized crime by itself, no single government, no single law enforcement system can achieve the best results against firearms trafficking and illicit manufacturing without relying on the support and on the action by civil society organizations and by individuals themselves.”
Alliances between civil society organizations should also be built to scale up global efforts. Tariq Khosa, Director of the Centre for Governance Research in Pakistan, underscored: “Civil society organizations, NGOs, experts, professionals and the private sector should forge stronger alliances to combat the scourge of violence and criminality being perpetrated due to the proliferation of illicit firearms.”
The summary of the discussions of the Constructive Dialogue by the Chair as well as the written contributions from participants will be published on the webpage of the Dialogue as they become available.
