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Kenya Urges Collaborative Global Approach to End Illicit Flows of Small Arms

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Nairobi — Kenya has called for coordinated efforts to end illicit movement of small arms and light weapons while seeking support for African Union’s campaign to silence guns in the continent.

The country made the call during a United Nations Security Council meeting on Wednesday, one of the key session convened during Kenya’s presidency of the Council in October.

The focus of the meeting was to address the threat posed by illicit flows of small arms and light weapons, in the context of peacekeeping operations.

Amb Martin Kimani, Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the UN, highlighted that the issue of the destabilizing accumulation, transfer and destructive impact of illicit small arms and light weapons and their proliferation constituted a major threat to international peace and security.

“They may be small and light. But that is exactly what makes them more dangerous especially when placed in the wrong hands. By their very nature, small arms are easy to acquire, easy to use, easy to transport and easy to conceal,” Amb. Kimani stressed.

The Permanent Representative called for a comprehensive architecture built by collaboration and coordination among the relevant UN organs and agencies, regional and sub-regional organizations, as well as civil society.

He urged support in strengthening of regional initiatives, like the African Union’s initiative to silence the guns, as well as those of several regional, sub-regional and national institutions. This was with a particular emphasis on relevant aspects such as securing storage of weapons and ammunition, as well as sensitization and collection, and destruction of illicit small arms and light weapons.