S/PV.5709 Security Council

The President (spoke in French): The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations. After consultations among members of the Security Council, I have been authorized to make the following statement on behalf of the Council. "The Security Council recalls its primary responsibility under the Charter of the United Nations for the maintenance of international peace and security. In this regard the Security Council recognizes that the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects has hampered the peaceful settlement of disputes, fuelled such disputes into armed conflict and contributed to the prolongation of such armed conflicts. "The Security Council notes with grave concern that the destabilizing accumulation and illicit manufacture, trade and circulation of small arms and light weapons in many regions of the world increase the intensity and duration of armed conflicts, undermine the sustainability of peace agreements, impede the success of peacebuilding, frustrate efforts aimed at the prevention of armed conflict, hinder considerably the provision of humanitarian assistance and compromise the effectiveness of the Security Council in discharging its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. "The Council reaffirms the inherent right to individual or collective self-defence consistent with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations. "The Security Council notes the report of the Secretary-General to the Council entitled 'Small Arms' (S/2006/109) of 17 February 2006, and recalls the statements of its President of 17 February 2005 (S/PRST/2005/7), of 19 January 2004 (S/PRTS/2004/1), of 31 October 2002 (S/PRST/2002/30), of 31 August 2001 (S/PRST/200l/2l) and of 24 September 1999 (S/PRST/l999/28). "The Security Council underlines the need to address this issue regularly and in this regard requests the Secretary-General to submit to the Council on a biennial basis beginning in 2008 a report on small arms containing his analysis, observations and recommendations as well as his observations on the implementation of the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects, to facilitate its further consideration of the matter. "The Security Council stresses the need to implement the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects and the International Instrument to Enable States to Identify and Trace, in a Timely and Reliable Manner, Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons, in order to make real progress in preventing, combating and eradicating the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons. In particular, States are encouraged to strengthen physical security and stockpile management, destroy surplus and obsolete small arms and light weapons, ensure that all small arms and light weapons are marked at the time of manufacture and import, and strengthen export and border controls and control brokering activities. "The Security Council encourages increased efforts to end the illicit trade of small arms and light weapons at the national, regional and international level. "The Security Council calls on all Member States to abide by their obligations to observe the arms embargoes established under relevant Security Council resolutions." This statement will be issued as a document of the Security Council under the symbol S/PRST/2007/24. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda. The meeting rose at 10.20 am. 07-4046]