MISSING PIECES - Inter-Parliamentary Union

MISSING PIECES
did not need, but what I am really good at is firing a rocket-propelled
grenade launcher.’ 13
INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS
IN THE PROGRAMME OF ACTION
The PoA places significant emphasis on stockpile management and the
collection and destruction of weapons. 14 It recognises that restricting the
number of weapons in circulation is necessary to prevent the illicit trade in
small arms and light weapons in all its aspects. It singles out for specific note
the need for states to ‘ensure that comprehensive and accurate records are
kept for as long as possible on the manufacture, holding and transfer of
small arms and light weapons within their jurisdiction’ (Section II, para. 9).
The PoA also makes specific reference the reduction of small arms in
post-conflict settings, calling on states to ‘develop and implement, where
possible, effective disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration programmes,
including the effective collection, control, storage and destruction
of small arms and light weapons’ (Section II, para. 21). It does not, however,
refer to wider arms reduction efforts.
Efforts are nevertheless being undertaken to improve approaches at the
international level, perhaps most notably by key actors like UNDP. The
UN has developed a set of Integrated Disarmament Demobilisation and
Reintegration Standards (IDDRS) to foster an integrated approach to DDR
implementation across UN agencies. 15 An Inter-Agency Working Group
comprised of fifteen UN departments, agencies, funds and programmes
came together to exchange experiences and collect best practices. 16 The
IDDRS were launched in December 2006, together with an operational
guide, a briefing note for senior managers, and a web-based resource centre.
17 The standards are focused on combatants from armed forces and
armed groups, but also recognise the importance of other arms management
measures, and linkages to rule of law and security sector reform.
GUN AMNESTIES AND LEGAL REFORM IN ‘PEACEFUL’ SETTINGS
From Australia to Brazil, Thailand, and South Africa, gun amnesty programmes
have been regularly used by governments as a tool to get small
arms out of circulation, usually prompted by an overhaul of national gun
laws. Such programmes aim to encourage gun holders and owners to
hand in their firearms voluntarily during the amnesty period, after which
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