Certainly as dangerous as a cigarette.

• Author: de Alba, Luis Alfonso
• Position: Disarmament Watch - illicit manufacture, transfer and circulation of small arms and light weapons

The attention given in recent years to the problem of the illicit manufacture, transfer and circulation of small arms and light weapons, and their excessive accumulation, has certainly grown, permitting substantial progress to be made, particularly at the regional level. Nevertheless, much remains to be done in order to develop and implement concrete programmes, policies and laws to effectively combat, prevent and eradicate the spread of those weapons.

Acceptance of the magnitude of the problem, as well as its global and multidimensional character, was indeed an achievement during the 2001 United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, which was also a fundamental step towards a collective undertaking based on the principle of shared responsibility. The full understanding of the problem, not only from its disarmament perspective but also as a tool to fight crime and terrorism and protect human rights and humanitarian law, invited us to work simultaneously in different fields and fora.

Now it is time to adopt measures to control and, in some cases, prohibit the manufacture and trade of small arms and light weapons, as well as their acquisition and possession by Governments or individuals, including through the development of legally binding instruments, common policies and other actions, and by strengthening international cooperation in this field.

In this context, it is important to identify crucial issues that remain to be solved, such as those referring to a global system for marking and tracing small arms and light weapons, the need for universal rules to control the activities of brokers and other intermediaries, the establishment of strict limitation or prohibition for the acquisition and possession of these weapons by civilians, or the prohibition of transfers and other transactions from or between States and non-State actors. Adequate marking is at the core of any effort to control small arms and light weapons. It is indispensable for identification, as well as for tracing, as recognized by all States, even though some of them still oppose a standard marking. Progress in this field is therefore urgent.

At the regional level, the Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and other Related Materials, adopted in 1997, made a significant contribution by requiring appropriate markings of the name of manufacturer...