{"id":13196,"date":"2026-06-01T16:37:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T14:37:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/italyun.esteri.it\/?p=13196"},"modified":"2026-06-03T17:15:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T15:15:34","slug":"italys-statements-ninth-biennial-meeting-of-states-to-consider-the-implementation-of-the-programme-of-action-to-prevent-combat-and-eradicate-the-illicit-trade-in-small-arms-and-light-weapons-in-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/italyun.esteri.it\/en\/news\/dalla_rappresentanza\/2026\/06\/italys-statements-ninth-biennial-meeting-of-states-to-consider-the-implementation-of-the-programme-of-action-to-prevent-combat-and-eradicate-the-illicit-trade-in-small-arms-and-light-weapons-in-all\/","title":{"rendered":"Italy&#8217;s Statements at the Ninth Biennial Meeting of States to Consider the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspect"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><strong>*** First statement***<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Mr. Chair,<\/p>\n<p>I would like to congratulate you on your appointment as Chair of the BMS9 and to express my gratitude to you, your team, and UNODA for the extensive and thorough preparatory work undertaken over the past few months.<\/p>\n<p>Italy aligns itself with the statement to be delivered by the European Union and I would like to add some remarks in my national capacity.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Chair,<\/p>\n<p>The proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons and their ammunition keeps playing a major role in fueling instability and armed violence, while at the same time hampering sustainable development and security prospects for many regions in the world. Too often such weapons\u2019 illegal flows contribute to feed terrorist groups, violate UN arms embargoes and determine a rise in crime and widespread violence. Among the actors that contribute significantly to the aggravation of such situations there is very often organized crime, a scourge that Italy has historically been at the forefront of combating, both domestically and internationally, through a solid expertise and the excellence of our judiciary and law enforcement operators.<\/p>\n<p>In recent years, we have witnessed the emergence of new technologies with the potential to redefine our understanding of SALW and the manner in which the international community approach their illicit trafficking, diversion and ultimate use, but also the prevention, the monitoring, and the safeguarding measures associated with them. In this framework, the role of the Open Ended Technical Experts Group (OETEG) is essential, as it provides at the same time a solid basis to grasp the benefits of technological advancements, and to better understand the magnitude of the challenges associated to them.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Chair,<\/p>\n<p>Italy is deeply committed to countering the proliferation of SALW and the illicit application of these emerging technologies, which can act as catalysts for self-perpetuating cycles of violence that disproportionately affect already vulnerable communities in regions devastated by armed conflict and systemic brutality. Italy\u2019s efforts at the international level to combat these phenomena are all-encompassing and aimed at identifying and addressing the root causes of SALW proliferation, starting from the lack of opportunities for the youth, poor levels of education, corruption and institutional instability affecting many of the regions concerned. In our action, we benefit also from a robust national and European legal framework, in line with Italy\u2019s international commitments. This provides us with the tools for a detailed and preventive action, by regulating every aspect of arms exports and ensuring they abide by the strongest standards.<\/p>\n<p>Italy remains fully committed to UN framework to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade of SALW. You may count on our full cooperation in achieving an outcome of this BMS9 which is satisfactory to all.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>*** Second statement***<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Mr. Chair,<\/p>\n<p>Italy confirms its unwavering support towards international cooperation and capacity-building in the field of prevention, contrast and eradication of illicit trade of SALW.<\/p>\n<p>Italy aligns itself with the statement of the European Union and I would like to add some remarks in my national capacity.<\/p>\n<p>When we discuss about cooperation and assistance in contrasting the illicit trade of SALW, we cannot underestimate how this scourge is strictly connected to the one of organized crime.<\/p>\n<p>Italy proudly promotes its expertise in tackling these challenges &#8211; an expertise founded on our core principles and values &#8211; also through several initiatives of \u201clegal diplomacy\u201d, reaching partner States through the harmonization of law and standards, training programmes, and capacity-building activities.<\/p>\n<p>In 2020, on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the \u201cPalermo Convention\u201d, the Falcone-Borsellino Programme was launched. Operating on a regional basis, the Programme pursues the same objectives as the Convention by strengthening cooperation between Rome and the countries of Central and South America in the fight against organized crime. This fully Italian-funded legal and security diplomacy initiative complements and enhances similar actions already undertaken at the European level.<\/p>\n<p>Our programmes promote an innovative approach to international cooperation in the fight against organized crime, founded upon the broad sharing of investigative information and a deeper understanding of the underlying dynamics that characterize criminal organizations, with the aim of strengthening the operational response capacities of law enforcement agencies.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to national programs, Italy actively participates in third-party initiatives, demonstrating its commitment on multiple fronts. As a virtuous example, within the \u201cPACAM\u201d &#8211; <em>Programa de Asistencia para el Control de Armas y Municiones <\/em>in the Caribbean my Country has supported concrete actions in Barbados, Belize, the Dominican Republic, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, aimed at strengthening national capacities to prevent and combat the illicit trafficking of weapons.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Chair, international cooperation and assistance means also contributing to address the root causes of the proliferation of SALW and its connection with the cycle of violence that burdens many regions of the world.<\/p>\n<p>Through our Development Cooperation and flagship programmes like the \u201cMattei Plan for Africa\u201d, Italy has promoted a paradigm shift which consists in building partnerships on an equal footing, moving beyond the traditional donor-beneficiary approach, and generating mutual benefits and opportunities. My Government\u2019s commitment within this framework of cooperation and development is also directed at addressing the deeply rooted causes of violence and SALW proliferation, while providing support and relief to the populations most affected by these phenomena.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Chair,<\/p>\n<p>Italy will continue to provide its support, expertise, and resources to improve the international cooperation and capacity building in preventing, combating \u00a0and eradicating the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons. Italy will keep contributing to meet the key objectives of the Programme of Action and the International Tracing Instrument.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"*** First statement*** Mr. Chair, I would like to congratulate you on your appointment as Chair of the BMS9 and to express my gratitude to you, your team, and UNODA for the extensive and thorough preparatory work undertaken over the past few months. Italy aligns itself with the statement to be delivered by the European [&hellip;]","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":13193,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/italyun.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/italyun.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/italyun.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/italyun.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/italyun.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13196"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/italyun.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13196\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13200,"href":"https:\/\/italyun.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13196\/revisions\/13200"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/italyun.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/italyun.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/italyun.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}