MISSING PIECES - Inter-Parliamentary Union

CONCLUSION
transfer of weapons. As law-makers and shapers, parliamentarians can
promote and ensure the adoption of effective national laws and regulations
that cover all aspects of the life cycle of weapons, including their
manufacture, export, transfer and ‘donation’. In time, an international
instrument regulating arms transfers will be adopted and parliamentarians
can encourage their government’s active participation in the process.
6. Contribute to international policy development. Parliamentarians can
actively participate in national delegations attending international meetings
and negotiations on small arms control, the promotion of a culture
of peace, and violence prevention. In doing so, parliamentarians bring
different perspectives and priorities to processes often removed from local
realities. In the coming years, global discussions on arms transfers, brokering
and ammunition control in particular, will be the subject of growing
focus.
7. Monitor compliance with international obligations. Parliamentarians
can be active in monitoring national compliance with international treaty
obligations and arms embargoes imposed by the UN Security Council
and other regional organisations. Questions and debate in parliament and
in committees or inquiry processes provide opportunities to press for implementation
and accountability.
8. Advance the ratification and implementation of international instruments
of relevance to weapons control, human rights, and armed violence
reduction. Most multilateral instruments relevant to gun violence and
weapons control, such as the Firearms Protocol, the International Tracing
Instrument or the Disability Convention, once ratified by parliaments will
require implementation strategies. Parliamentarians can contribute to this
process by convening various stakeholders to develop implementation
strategies to enforce such instruments.
9. Allocate adequate budgets for the effective implementation of weapons
control policies, culture of peace activities and violence prevention.
National firearms legislation and small arms control strategies require
adequate funding for effective implementation activities, as do national
coordinating bodies on small arms. Creative approaches such as taxes on
firearms sales, as developed in El Salvador, can provide revenue for these
budget lines.
10. Ensure coherence and harmonisation of responses at the national and
regional levels. By engaging in cross-national, regional or thematic parlia-
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