New York, 20 March 2018. On its second day of discussion, the Preparatory Committee for the Review Conference on the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects addressed agenda item 7 a.ii entitled “Implementation of International Cooperation and Assistance”. During the debate, Cuban delegate Ms. Lillianne Sánchez Rodríguez, Second Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations, recognizing the utmost responsibility of Governments in addressing the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, stressed the importance of international cooperation and assistance, including financial and technical assistance, to complement national efforts.
In this context, she reiterated that cooperation and assistance should be provided without conditions ensuring equal access for all States, without discriminatory treatment or any form of imposition or single recipes. She also called for due account to be taken of national and regional specificities.
Sánchez Rodríguez urged the Review Conference to take concrete steps to promote and strengthen assistance and cooperation within the framework of the Programme of Action, in particular through the establishment of a United Nations fellowship programme on small arms and light weapons; increased preferential transfers of technology and related equipment to developing countries, upon request; increased training and capacity-building; and the establishment of a United Nations Trust Fund for Small Arms and Light Weapons, among other actions.
The Cuban diplomat used her speech to reaffirm the island's willingness to provide assistance and cooperation within or outside the region to requesting countries, with the aim of contributing to the creation of a comprehensive system of national measures for the control of firearms in the hands of non-State actors, especially in relation to the legal application, marking, registration and control of small arms and light weapons.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations.