United Nations Security Council Open Debate: “Addressing the threat posed by diversion, illicit trafficking and misuse of small arms and light weapons and their ammunition to peace and security”

Check against delivery

Statement by Canada
New York, Friday 15 December 2023

Chair,

Thank you for providing a forum to discuss a critical issue: the illicit trade, diversion and trafficking of small arms and light weapons.

We hear very clearly from our colleagues around the world, in Latin America and the Caribbean, from West Africa, and Myanmar, and many other regions, that this is a major problem. We must take concrete steps to address it.

Canada is active at the international, regional and sub-regional levels, and in many forums, to tackle this problem. I would stress that we also take this issue very seriously at home, which I believe we all need to do.

In Canada, all permit applications to export controlled items – regardless of destinations – are reviewed on a case-by-case basis under a robust risk assessment framework. This includes an assessment against the Arms Trade Treaty criteria, which are enshrined in Canada’s Export and Import Permits Act.

To put it simply, we assess the risks at home and we assess the risks abroad. We assess them with binding laws. And we would encourage all states to do the same.
Where a risk of diversion is identified and cannot be mitigated, the export permit application will be denied.

Canada believes that states must enforce and apply adequate national controls to the entire life cycle of these small arms and light weapons, which are getting easier and easier to produce, in accordance with national legal frameworks, to minimize the risk of their diversion and illicit international transfer.

Mr. President,

I would like to discuss the situation of Haiti, which is a priority for my government and the people of Canada. Armed gangs have expanded their operation and territory in Haiti, in this is because they have access to sophisticated weapons. This situation has resulted in a significant increase in the level of violence and insecurity for the Haitian people.

It is tragic to see these armed gangs target disenfranchised young people and victimize them even further by recruiting them, which is the only way for them to get a meal or money.

The illicit trafficking of these weapons complicates efforts made by Haitian national actors, in particular the Haitian national police, when they are trying to restore stability.

Canada decided to contribute 3.4 million dollars to equip and build capacity of the Haitian national police so as to help them fight violence having to do with firearms and improve the control of weapons in their country.

In addition to that we think this funding will increase the capacity of the police to secure the weapons and munition and to account for them, and will support the efforts of combatting against arms trafficking. It will also support the efforts made to prevent sexual and gender-based violence. Canada also recently renewed its financial support for the implementation of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap with the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Our funding will continue to support Caribbean women’s engagement in disarmament, arms control, and the Women, Peace and Security agenda, as well as youth engagement and reducing armed violence in schools.

As many have said before me, from many different parts of the world, there are direct links between the use of small arms and light weapons and acts of conflict-related sexual violence. At a meeting yesterday, I was told by Under-Secretary Ryder, that in the last several years, 700,000 people have been killed in conflict. But 3.1 million people have been killed in criminal acts. Which means that roughly the same number of people as are killed in conflict, the same number of women are killed by their intimate partners. Think about that for a moment.

We need more and better gender-disaggregated data on small arms and light weapons. We need to understand the focus and the nature of this problem. We need to mainstream this across frameworks and processes. This will help us better understand how these weapons are being used to commit such acts, and the differential impact of their illicit trade on women, men, and children. 

Women must also be equally represented, not only as victims, but as active participants in combatting the effects of such weapons.

Canada has, and will continue to, advocate for a gender-responsive approach to the control of small arms and light weapons – and indeed across all disarmament issues.

Thank you, Chair.