Cairo: The fifteenth meeting of Arab National Points of Contact on the United Nations Programme of Action to Combat the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons commenced at the Arab League's General Secretariat on Monday. The two-day meeting aims to prepare for the upcoming 9th Meeting of the United Nations Programme of Action, scheduled to take place in New York in June.
According to Qatar News Agency, the meeting will focus on considering the main themes to be included in the conference's draft outcome document. Additionally, it aims to prepare a statement on behalf of the Arab Group to be delivered at the UN meeting, reflecting relevant regional and international developments in the field of small arms and light weapons control.
Participants will also review updates related to the joint Arab League-European Union project titled "Combating Illicit Trafficking and Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Member States of the League of Arab States." This collaborative project involves cooperation with partners such as Interpol, the World Customs Organization, and the Small Arms Survey, with an estimated budget of EUR 13 million allocated across its three phases from 2019 to 2027.