SUBMITTED TO: The General Assembly
SUBJECT: Condemnation of the Illicit Arms Trade
SPONSORED BY: Norway, Honduras
SIGNATORIES: Thailand, Sao Tome and Principe, Luxembourg, India, Poland

The General Assembly,

01) Deeply concerned by the large increase in the amount of illicit arms being traded worldwide,
02) especially in developing countries, and
03) Reaffirming its resolutions 1170 (1998) of 28 May 1998, 1196 (1998) of 16 September
04) 1998 and 1197 (1998) of 17 September 1998, and
05) Recalling the statements of its President of 25 September 1997 (S/PRST/1997/46), 16
06) September 1998 (S/PRST/1998/28) and 24 September 1998 (S/PRST/1998/29), and
07) Recognizing with concern that commercial and political motives play an unduly important
08) role in the illicit transfer and accumulation of small arms, and
09) Alarmed by the worldwide suffering and deaths inflicted by these illicit arms, especially
10) the suffering of innocent civilians, and
11) Stressing the close linkage between international peace, security and sustainable
12) development and the need for the international community to respond to the challenge of
13) illicit arms flows to and in Africa and around the world in a comprehensive manner,
14) encompassing not only the field of security but that of social and economic development,
15) and
16) Reaffirming the right of all nations to procure or produce necessary weapons to meet
17) their legitimate national security and public order needs in accordance with the Charter of
18) the United Nations and other rules and principles of international law, and
19) Guided by diplomatic responsibility and a respect of human rights, as outlined in Articles 3
20) and 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
21) 1. Condemns the trade of illicit arms worldwide; and
22) 2. Draws attention to the innocent deaths of civilians in war torn countries plagued by illicit
23) arms; and
24) 3. Expresses its grave concern at the destabilizing effect of illicit arms flows, in particular 
25) of small arms, to and in Africa and at their excessive accumulation and circulation, which
26) threaten national, regional and international security and have serious consequences for
27) development and for the humanitarian situation in the continent; and
28) 4. Applauds the efforts against the illicit arms trade of all nations that enact legislation on 
29) the domestic possession and use of arms, including the establishment of national legal and 
30) judicial mechanisms for the effective implementation of such laws, and to implement 
31) effective import, export and re-export controls; and
32) 5. Stresses the importance of all Member States, and in particular States involved in
33) manufacturing or marketing of weapons, restricting arms transfers which could provoke or
34) prolong armed conflicts or aggravate existing tensions or conflicts in crisis areas around the
35) globe, such as through voluntary moratoria; and
36) 6. Encourages all nations to participate in the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms,
37) encourages also the establishment of appropriate regional or subregional registers of
38) conventional arms, and encourages further Member States to explore other appropriate
39) ways to enhance transparency of arms transfers; and
40) 7. Supports the ongoing work of the Secretary-General on small arms and light weapons
41) pursuant to General Assembly resolutions 50/70 B and 52/38 J, including the work of the
42) group of governmental experts nominated by him, and noting the findings pertaining to illicit
43) arms flows to and in Africa in the Report on Small Arms of the Secretary-General of 27
44) August 1997 (A/52/298); and
45) 8. Reminds all member states of the main objectives of the "United Nations Conference on 
46) the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons" to be held in July 2001 as the Group of 
47) Governmental Experts on Small Arms recommended, namely:
48) a) to develop and strengthen international efforts to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit 
49) trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects, 
50) b) to mobilize the political will throughout the international community to prevent and
51) combat illicit transfers in and manufacturing of small arms and light weapons,
52) c) to strengthen or develop appropriate norms at the global, national and regional levels,
53) d) to overcome the crisis resulting from the excessive and destabilizing accumulations and
54) transfers of such weapons especially for regions where serious problems with the
55) proliferation of small arms and light weapons have to be dealt with urgently,
56) e) to develop agreed international measures to prevent and combat illicit arms trafficking in 
57) and manufacturing of small arms and light weapons; and
58) 9. Further requests a United Nations Commission to Investigate the Worldwide Trade of Illicit
59) Arms by:
60) A) Encouraging the Secretary-General to explore means of identifying international arms
61) dealers acting in contravention of national legislation or embargoes established by the
62) United Nations on arms transfers, and
63) B) Reiterating the obligation of all Member States to carry out decisions of the Security
64) Council on arms embargoes, and, in this context, notes the broader implications of the
65) findings and experience of the International Commission of Inquiry established by its
66) resolution 1013 (1995) of 7 September 1995 and reactivated in accordance with its
67) resolution 1161 (1998) of 9 April 1998, and requests the Secretary-General to consider
68) the possible application of such a measure to other conflict zones with specific emphasis
69) on the sources of such arms and, if appropriate, make recommendations to the General
70) Assembly and Security Council, and
71) C) Recognizing the important contribution of programmes for voluntary weapons
72) collection, disposal, and destruction, and expresses its intention to consider including, as
73) appropriate, means to facilitate the successful conduct of such programmes in the
74) mandates of future peacekeeping operations it authorizes in crisis areas on the basis of
75) recommendations by the Secretary-General, and
76) D) Encouraging the Secretary-General, in consultation with Member States, to explore
77) means for collection, sharing and dissemination of information, including technical
78) information, on illicit small arms flows and their destabilizing effects, in order to improve
79) the international community's ability to prevent the exacerbation of armed conflicts and
80) humanitarian crisis, as well as means for the rapid exchange of data on possible
81) violations of arms embargoes, and
82) E) Make a semi-annual report to both the Security Council and the General Assembly as to
83) the commission's findings; and
84) 10. Decides to remain seized by this ongoing matter.