Six Key Issues for the Eighth Biennial Meeting of States (BMS8) on the UN Programme of Action (June 2022)

This Quick Guide provides an overview of six key issues for the Eighth Biennial Meeting of States (BMS8) 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 Aspects (PoA). It provides information to help IANSA members and partner organizations in their work to lobby Member States, and to help inform diplomats as well. This briefing paper supplements other IANSA resources, which can be found at: https://iansa.org/publications/

From 27 June-1 July, the United Nations is conducting the eighth Biennial Meeting of States (BMS8) on the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat, and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects (PoA), which was originally adopted in 2001.^[1] These meetings focus on States’ implementation of the PoA.

At BMS8, participating States will also begin to set the agenda for the fourth Review Conference (RevCon4), which is scheduled to take place in 2024. Review Conferences are designed to give States the opportunity to make decisions on more substantial programs and activities to strengthen the PoA’s implementation.

This briefing paper focuses on six key issues that IANSA has identified as needing particular attention at BMS8:

• Building on the gender outcomes of RevCon3 and BMS7 and ensuring the inclusion of other traditionally underrepresented groups such as survivors, youth, and those most vulnerable to the effects of armed violence.
• Enhancing provisions for the collection and destruction of SALW and their ammunition.
• Moving forward on developing national targets for implementation of the PoA.
• Ensuring attention to synergies among instruments that are critical to preventing SALW proliferation, violence, and harm.
• Increasing attention to the need for sustainable international cooperation and assistance in implementing the PoA and the ITI.
• Setting a robust agenda and mandate for RevCon4.