On May 31, 2011 the Permanent Missions of Japan, Poland, and Turkey to the United Nations, in cooperation with the Stimson Center, hosted a day-long conference on the proliferation challenges facing the international community. The meeting, which featured the UN Secretary General, explored the linkages between security challenges and development objectives by focusing on how disarmament and nonproliferation capacity building can reinforce global economic development and sustainable economic growth. On December 5, 2011, a follow-up meeting roundtable discussion was held, this time focusing on regional approaches to nonproliferation and capacity-building as well as industry perspectives.
On May 21, 2012, a third meeting was held, recognizing the importance of addressing the scourge of the illicit trafficking in small arms. That year was an especially important year at the UN for conventional arms proliferation issues. In July, the Arms Trade Treaty was negotiated. September marked the Review Conference of the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms. And in November, Member States started reviewing the UN Register of Conventional Arms. This meeting set impending discussions at the UN in a broader context by considering the underlying threats that they seek to address. The roundtable discussion considered the modalities and consequences of the illicit trade in weapons, with specific focus on the elements of the threat that must be addressed. It also covered the negative impact of irresponsible use of arms, most notably on socio-economic growth of UN Member States. Acknowledging that existing measures undertaken through UN Security Council Resolutions, international insturments, as well as development and capacity building programs are critical, but ultimately insufficient to fully addresss this burgeoning threat, the discussion drew upon successul regional initiatives and innovative new approaches that might inform our discussions throughout the course of 2012.
The panel discussions were followed by a luncheon featuring Stephen Braun, national investigative correspondent and former National Security Editor of the Associated Press, member of the Los Angeles Timesreporting team that won the Pulitzer Prize, and author of Merchant of Death, as keynote speaker.
To read a brief summary of the event, please click here.
To view the agenda for the event, please click here.