Statement by Ambassador Stig Elvemar, Permanent Mission of Sweden
Madame chairperson,Let me first of all congratulate you on your election as Chairperson of this meeting.When trying to identify shortcomings and to make progress in preventing illicit trade in small arms it is crucial to learn from different national experiences. We should do our utmost to use this week in an effective way, not only to discuss lessons learned, but also to move forward on certain issues.Madame Chairperson,Sweden fully aligns itself with the statement given by Italy on behalf of the European Union this morning. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight a few issues that Sweden considers to be of particular importance.The Programme of Action encourages states to promote conflict prevention. We must reduce the means of violent conflict Addressing the root causes of the demand for small arms and light weapons is of fundamental importance. In this regard, Sweden welcomes the resolution on the prevention of armed conflict adopted by the General Assembly last week.In cases where armed conflict has been contained, successful disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) of ex-combatants into civilian society can be pivotal in order to prevent a relapse into conflict. It is important to focus on all aspects of a DDR process, not least the more long-term reintegration process that is closely linked to economic and social development. Further attention needs to be attributed to the protection of children, including preventing the recruitment of child soldiers.Madame Chairperson,Export controls constitute a vital instrument in combating the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons. The strict system of controls applied in Sweden is an outflow of foreign, defence and security policy. Sweden supports the further development of multilateral norms, setting minimum requirements and standards for export controls.Controlling brokering activities is part of Sweden's export controls. Swedish legislation is far-reaching as it also controls the extraterritorial aspect of brokering; i.e. control of brokering activities that take place outside Sweden. Sweden supports the development of a multilateral binding agreement on controlling brokering activities.Effective means need to be developed for systematic tracing of weapons so that illegally diverted weapons can be traced back to the point of diversion. Important elements of tracing are marking, record-keeping and international co-operation. Sweden believes that a multilateral legally binding instrument facilitating identification and tracing of small arms and light weapons would make an important contribution to combating the illicit trade of weapons and looks forward to a decision to negotiate such an instrument be made at the 58th UN General Assembly.Madame Chairperson,Sweden remains committed to participating actively in the implementation and further development of the UN Programme of Action, both with regards to formulation of international standards and to concrete assistance to those in need. This work should move forward with a view to make considerable progress on the key issues at the 2006 review conference.