United Nations Security Council resolution 1209, adopted unanimously on 19 November 1998, after recalling resolutions
1170
Year 1170 ( MCLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Levant
* Winter – Egyptian forces led by Saladin invade Palestine and besiege Darum on th ...
(1998) and
1196 (1998) on Africa, the Council addressed illicit arms flows on the continent.
Observations
The Security Council considered further a report by the Secretary-General
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan (; 8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founder ...
on the situation in Africa concerning the importance of stemming illegal arms flows. It recognised that illegal arms traffic was closely connected to the role of commercial and political interests. African countries did have the right to obtain weapons for reasons of
national security
National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military atta ...
and policing.
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
had offered to hold a conference in
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
on illegal arms traffic and there were negotiations in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
on the elaboration of an international convention against transnational organised crime, including a protocol to combat illicit manufacturing and trafficking in
firearm
A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions).
The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...
s. The Council commended African initiatives to address the problem of arms flows, such as in
Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...
and
Mozambique
Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
, the
Economic Community of West African States
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS; also known as in French and Portuguese) is a regional political union, political and economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa. Collectively, these countries comprise an ...
(ECOWAS) and the
Southern African Development Community
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana.
Its goal is to further regional socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security coopera ...
(SADC).
Acts
The Security Council was concerned about large-scale illegal arms trafficking in Africa, particularly of
small arms
A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions).
The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes c ...
and the threat it posed to security, development and humanitarian situation on the continent. In this regard, African countries were urged to introduce legislation on the use of arms. Member States, particularly those that manufactured
weapon
A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...
s, were reminded of the importance of restricting arms transfers which could provoke or prolong armed conflicts. The resolution encouraged African states to participate in the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms and to establish regional and subregional registers to enhance the transparency of arms transfers. They were also instructed to look to the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
and
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States (OAS; es, Organización de los Estados Americanos, pt, Organização dos Estados Americanos, french: Organisation des États américains; ''OEA'') is an international organization that was founded on 30 April ...
for their efforts in tackling the arms trade and to adopt similar measures.
In addition, the Secretary-General was encouraged to find ways to identify international arms dealers acting in contravention of national legislation or
arms embargo
An arms embargo is a restriction or a set of sanctions that applies either solely to weaponry or also to "dual-use technology." An arms embargo may serve one or more purposes:
* to signal disapproval of the behavior of a certain actor
* to maintain ...
es imposed by the United Nations. He was also urged to promote co-operation among Member States, to explore ways of disseminating information on arms flows and their destabilising effects and to implement voluntary weapons collection programmes.
See also
*
Great Lakes refugee crisis
The Great Lakes refugee crisis is the common name for the situation beginning with the exodus in April 1994 of over two million Rwandans to neighboring countries of the Great Lakes region of Africa in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide. Many ...
*
Gun politics
Gun laws and policies, collectively referred to as firearms regulation or gun control, regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, and use of small arms by civilians. Laws of some countries may afford civilians a right to ...
*
History of Africa
The history of Africa begins with the emergence of hominids, archaic humans and — around 300–250,000 years ago—anatomically modern humans (''Homo sapiens''), in East Africa, and continues unbroken into the present as a patchwork of d ...
*
List of conflicts in Africa
This is a list of conflicts in Africa arranged by country, both on the continent and associated islands, including wars between African nations, civil wars, and wars involving non-African nations that took place within Africa. It encompasses coloni ...
*
(1998–2000)
References
External links
*
Text of the Resolution at undocs.org
{{UNSCR 1998
1209
1998 in Africa
Politics of Africa
Arms control
November 1998 events