MISSING PIECES - Inter-Parliamentary Union
MISSING PIECES - Inter-Parliamentary Union
MISSING PIECES - Inter-Parliamentary Union
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<strong>MISSING</strong> <strong>PIECES</strong><br />
did not need, but what I am really good at is firing a rocket-propelled<br />
grenade launcher.’ 13<br />
INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS<br />
IN THE PROGRAMME OF ACTION<br />
The PoA places significant emphasis on stockpile management and the<br />
collection and destruction of weapons. 14 It recognises that restricting the<br />
number of weapons in circulation is necessary to prevent the illicit trade in<br />
small arms and light weapons in all its aspects. It singles out for specific note<br />
the need for states to ‘ensure that comprehensive and accurate records are<br />
kept for as long as possible on the manufacture, holding and transfer of<br />
small arms and light weapons within their jurisdiction’ (Section II, para. 9).<br />
The PoA also makes specific reference the reduction of small arms in<br />
post-conflict settings, calling on states to ‘develop and implement, where<br />
possible, effective disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration programmes,<br />
including the effective collection, control, storage and destruction<br />
of small arms and light weapons’ (Section II, para. 21). It does not, however,<br />
refer to wider arms reduction efforts.<br />
Efforts are nevertheless being undertaken to improve approaches at the<br />
international level, perhaps most notably by key actors like UNDP. The<br />
UN has developed a set of Integrated Disarmament Demobilisation and<br />
Reintegration Standards (IDDRS) to foster an integrated approach to DDR<br />
implementation across UN agencies. 15 An <strong>Inter</strong>-Agency Working Group<br />
comprised of fifteen UN departments, agencies, funds and programmes<br />
came together to exchange experiences and collect best practices. 16 The<br />
IDDRS were launched in December 2006, together with an operational<br />
guide, a briefing note for senior managers, and a web-based resource centre.<br />
17 The standards are focused on combatants from armed forces and<br />
armed groups, but also recognise the importance of other arms management<br />
measures, and linkages to rule of law and security sector reform.<br />
GUN AMNESTIES AND LEGAL REFORM IN ‘PEACEFUL’ SETTINGS<br />
From Australia to Brazil, Thailand, and South Africa, gun amnesty programmes<br />
have been regularly used by governments as a tool to get small<br />
arms out of circulation, usually prompted by an overhaul of national gun<br />
laws. Such programmes aim to encourage gun holders and owners to<br />
hand in their firearms voluntarily during the amnesty period, after which<br />
104