Nigeria Stirs World To Adopt UN Programme On Small Arms, Light Weapons

NIGERIA scored a major political and diplomatic goal yesterday at the United Nations with the final adoption of the UN Programme of Action (POA) on eradication of illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.

Delegates from the 193 member-nations participated in a conference to review progress made since 2001 when the POA was first drafted and adopted.

The 2001 report is subject to review every six years to ascertain progress made in implementation, but the first review in 2006 had failed to reach a consensus, thus casting a pall of stalemate on any subsequent review.

But last Friday’s consensus adoption of the POA was considered a major achievement even in UN circles, which, in recent decades, had recorded many stalemated or out-rightly deadlocked meetings.

The gathering held between August 27 and September 7 at the UN Headquarters in New York, was the Second Review Conference on the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW).

The conference held under the leadership of the Permanent Representative of the Nigeria Mission to the UN, Ambassador (Prof.) Joy Ogwu, who had been nominated as president of the conference.

The 2012 meeting had been premised on reviewing ‘the progress made in implementation and identifying areas for further implementation of the 2001 report’ on the same issue of illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.

In the end, the 13-page outcome document had all the delegates reaffirming “our support and commitment to implement all the provisions of the Programme of Action and the International Tracing Instrument, with a view to ending the human suffering caused by the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.”

The delegations also stated: “We reaffirm our respect for and commitment to our obligations under international law and purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations as well as those set out in the Programme of Action…”

Among other implications, the 2012 Declaration titled, “A renewed commitment to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all aspects,” is expected to benefit countries in Africa and other developing areas much because most conflicts through which small arms and light weapons are proliferated and deployed occur in those areas.

Africa is said to have about 10 million small arms and light weapons, about seven million of such are said to be in Nigeria. This was, perhaps, why the generously praised Conference President stated that Nigeria and Africa have to seize the moment of the 2012 Declaration, and ensure that they “use its provisions to combat the illicit trade in small weapons and light weapons.”

Mrs. Ogwu continued: “It also has significant implications for our engagement in other United Nations issues dealing with conflict prevention.”

She noted that illicit trade in small arms, while it profits mostly developed countries that produce them, has dastard consequences for socio-economic development and political stability of nations on the continent and other developing nations, where they are mostly used.

The significance of the successful adoption of the report, and the declaration, especially for Nigeria, is underscored by the fact that the first review meeting in 2006 had been deadlocked with some nations vowing not to accept the Programme of Action; thus, casting a pessimistic hue on the fate and fortune of the second Review Conference that ended on Friday in New York.

However, at the end of two weeks of tough negotiations and forth-back presentations, the delegates — even those who had maintained hard-line postures on aspects of the report — rose in unison to salute the leadership of Nigeria in the processes that led to the adoption of the report.

In particular, the delegates praised the way Nigeria’s leadership stirred the affairs of the meeting, ensuring that every nation was carried along, and throwing water on the heats generated in the conference room.

In their individual final submissions, after the adoption of the POA at 4.46pm on Friday, each delegate passed a vote of confidence on Nigeria’s leadership, singling out Ambassador Ogwu for her deft diplomatic skill, which she combined with her matronly posture, and which many of them said led to the success of the conference.

At 6.10pm when Ogwu brought the meeting to a close, a loud ovation greeted the leadership of the conference, affirming Nigeria’s arrival at the zenith of global diplomatic accomplishment at the United Nations.

Head of the German Delegation to the meeting, Deltev Wotler, succinctly captured the momentous nature of the event, when he declared in his final submission:

“Today is a total victory, a victory for Nigeria, a victory for ECOWAS, a victory for Africa and indeed a victory for the entire humanity. Madam President, we have to praise you especially for this achievement today. Your calm person, diplomatic skill and African wisdom, have helped us to reach this consensus. We are indeed privileged to have you chair this meeting. And we thank the Nigerian leadership in the processes that led us to this achievement.”

The EU delegation said that the success of the Conference was, indeed, a victory for Nigeria’s diplomacy and for Africa, which is one of the regions of the world troubled by the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.  It also praised the chairing of the event by Ambassador Ogwu.

In similar language, the ECOWAS and African delegations said that the successful completion of the meeting, in spite of the many odds the discussions faced, attest to the leadership of Nigeria in international diplomacy as well as its significant place on the continent.

Even the Iranian delegation, which had been spotlighted as reluctant to agree to the consensus, praised the deft handling of the proceedings of the two-week meetings, which yielded the adoption of the report. Leader of the delegation remarked: “That we joined the consensus does not mean that we support the resolution, but we wish to praise Madam President’s handling of this conference. It is to her experience and strategy that we have achieved this consensus.”

The Programme of Action had been on a tight rope since 2001, when the first report was drafted, and had been deadlocked since 2006, when the first review meeting was held under the leadership of the then Sri Lanka permanent representative, who was considered one of the finest diplomats at the UN, with a remarkable skill at building consensus.

Due to the failure of the 2006 meeting, some delegates, even as at the afternoon of the last day of the strenuous discussions and negotiations, said they knew the conference would most likely fail like the previous meeting.

This air of uncertainty pervaded the last two days of the meeting, and more poignant on the last day, when a second draft of the report was called by the president of the meeting.

But last minute skillful persuasions and negotiations by the Nigeria’s Permanent Representative, and her team of experienced four facilitators and highly motivated secretariat, saved the day.