This archive report was first published on 7 October 2021.
On October 7, 2021, Kenya's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Martin Kimani, addressed the United Nations Security Council, highlighting the devastating impact of illicit small arms and light weapons on international peace and security.
The meeting, convened during Kenya's presidency of the Council, focused on addressing the threat posed by illicit flows of small arms and light weapons in the context of peacekeeping operations.
"They may be small and light. But that is exactly what makes them more dangerous especially when placed in the wrong hands. By their very nature, small arms are easy to acquire, easy to use, easy to transport and easy to conceal," Ambassador Kimani stressed.
Kenya called for a comprehensive architecture built by collaboration and coordination among the relevant UN organs and agencies, regional and sub-regional organizations, as well as civil society.
The country urged support for the African Union's initiative to silence the guns, as well as regional, sub-regional, and national initiatives to secure storage of weapons and ammunition, sensitize communities, and collect and destroy illicit small arms and light weapons.
Kenya also emphasized the need to strengthen the capacity of United Nations missions and governments in weapons and ammunition management to prevent diversion and illicit trade of small arms and light weapons.
The session was addressed by three briefers, including the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, and the Executive Secretary of the Regional Centre on Small Arms in the Great Lakes Region, Gen. Badreldin Elamin Abdelgadir.
