Kenya, which is the President for the United Nations Security Council for the month of October held the first signature event -Briefing on Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons.
The focus of the meeting was to address the threat posed by illicit flows of small arms and light weapons.
During the meeting, Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the UN in New York Ambassador Martin Kimani highlighted the issue of the destabilising accumulation, transfer, and destructive impact of illicit small arms and light weapons.
Kimani also said that the weapon’s proliferation constituted a major threat to international peace and security, especially in peacekeeping.
He called for a comprehensive architecture, regional initiatives, strengthening of the Council mandates, and capacity of UN mission, which are critical to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade of small arms and light weapons in all its aspects.
During the meeting, Kenya re-emphasised its support for continued discussion on this subject with a view to seeking effective ways of supporting peace operations.
The UNSC’s presidency is rotational, being held by each of the members in turn for one month, following the English alphabetical order of the Member States' names.
Kenya received the mantle from September’s president Ireland and by the end of October, it is expected to hand over to Mexico.
