- Home
- About us
- Latest News and Statements
- Australia's role at the UN
- Jobs
- For students and teachers
- Contact us
- Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
- Australian Consulate-General in New York
- Australian Embassy in Washington
- United Nations
Third Biennial Meeting of States to Consider the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects
International cooperation, assistance and national capacity-building
Statement by H.E. the Hon Robert Hill, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations
14 July 2008
(As delivered)
Mr Chairman
As you have rightly emphasised through the identification of this theme for discussion at BMS3, international cooperation, assistance and national-capacity building are key elements of the Programme of Action.
We thank the facilitator, Colombia, for the helpful and insightful work in framing the key issues for discussion. We particularly welcome the identification of specific areas in which assistance in capacity-building is required to fulfil implementation of the Programme of Action.
Australia has considerable experience in providing international assistance on several of these areas to States in our region. I would like to share some of the key developments which have occurred since the 2006 Review Conference.
Australia has funded the construction of armouries in Papua New Guinea, and Tuvalu; and has been engaged in Demobilisation, Disarmament and Reintegration projects in Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea (Bougainville) and the Philippines (Mindanao). Australia has also supported post-conflict reconstruction, including security sector reform, in Timor Leste, Mindanao, Aceh, Cambodia, and the Pacific.
I would particularly like to highlight the recent Samoa Police Project. This five-year project culminated in the opening of the new police headquarters in Apia on 1 February this year.
Australia funded construction of the $15.6 million headquarters complex which includes a forensic laboratory and a secure armoury. The Australian Defence Force and Australian Federal Police jointly provided technical support, including training for weapons management and accountability. In addition to contributing to domestic policing activities, the complex also supports training for Samoan police officers being deployed to the UN Mission in East Timor (UNMIT) and the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI).
As part of the Samoa Police Project, Australia also provided training to improve core policing skills in investigation and prosecution, police ethics and integrity training, and performance management guidance as well as improving public access to police services in Samoa.
The project is a concrete example of how international cooperation and assistance across government agencies can aid in implementation of the Programme of Action.
With the successful completion of this project, Australian is actively exploring further regional opportunities for similar collaborative projects.
Mr Chairman
As you and the Facilitator have identified, the efficient matching of implementation needs with practical solutions remains a challenge for all states. But, as our work in Samoa illustrates, with creativity and coordination on the part of the donor country, and the enthusiastic cooperation of the host government, extraordinary results can be achieved. In this case, by harnessing resources available on the donor side, one project has secured positive and lasting benefits and satisfied a range of needs.
Mr Chairman
Australia welcomes the work of UN ODA in establishing the Programme of Action Implementation Support System, and the database for matching needs and resources established by UNIDIR.
We caution, however, that resources for implementation of the Programme of Action must be accessible, bearing in mind that services such as the internet cannot be taken for granted in developing States. This is certainly the case in our region. We therefore need to consider ways of ensuring that the material in these databases is universally available, and that there are mechanisms accessible to all Member States to provide input. We note there is potential to use existing regional architecture, such as the Pacific Islands Forum, as hubs which can both distribute information from the UN secretariat and transmit information provided by Member States.
Reporting is an area in which there is a clearly identified need for more streamlined coordination at the regional level. As noted in the Small Arms Survey’s comprehensive analysis of the national reports submitted from 2002 to 2008, national reports should provide the basic data which can be used to match needs with resources. But many developing States, including those in our region, are often forced by limited personnel and financial resources to assign low priority to these tasks.
Mr Chairman
We need to think creatively about capacity-building, making use where we can of existing regional structures. To do so effectively we need to be able to hear the voices and ideas from our regional partners.
Australia has funded participation at this meeting by a senior Minister and officials from Papua New Guinea, who will also be able to speak on their experiences under the Programme of Action.
Capacity-building is also an issue on which there is considerable potential for NGOs and civil society to contribute. To enable their voices to be heard, Australia has funded participation this week by NGO representatives from two countries in our region.
Australia is also proud to fund the UNIDIR study, which will now move to focus on PNG, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands to develop a mechanism to help states identify their priorities for small arms assistance and communicate these priorities to potential donors.
We are confident that, under your able Chairmanship, these steps will contribute to fruitful discussions this week on potential collaboration and practical outcomes.
Thank you.