Italy sees and realized that the illicit arms trade has been going on for decades now. We understand that action needs to be taken to prevent more innocent people losing their lives. But with this we also recognize that some of the arms have a legitimate need and or use, but are still obtained illegally. The trade of illicit arms is seen all around the world, but mainly takes place in areas that are in conflict. Although all types of weapons are generally involved in the trade, the UN mainly focuses on small and light arms, for many reasons. Small arms account for over half of all of the weapons in the trade. And due to their smaller size they are easier to transport/ conceal making it easier for terrorists and other groups to get them.
Italy is in full support of combating the illicit arms trade. Italy has seen a clear connection between most criminal trafficking activities such as firearms, humans and drugs. Italy thinks that we need more structured data to combat these. We also think that we should take preemptive action on the emerging threat of illicit arms trading through the dark net. Italy would also like to underline the importance of the UNDOP data collection initiative.
Italy would be willing to support a resolution that includes any of the aforementioned topics.
- Devin Smith