United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/69/73

Sixty-ninth session

Agenda item 97 (h)

The General Assembly,

Recalling its previous relevant resolutions, in particular resolution 68/62 of 5 December 2013,

Recalling also the guidelines for general and complete disarmament adopted at its tenth special session, the first special session devoted to disarmament,

Bearing in mind the establishment by the Secretary-General on 28 May 1992 of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa, the purpose of which is to encourage arms limitation, disarmament, non-proliferation and development in the Central Africa subregion,

Reaffirming that the purpose of the Standing Advisory Committee is to conduct reconstruction and confidence-building activities in Central Africa among its member States, including through confidence-building and arms limitation measures,

Recalling the Sao Tome Declaration on a Central African Common Position on the Arms Trade Treaty, adopted by the States members of the Standing Advisory Committee on 16 March 2011 at their thirty-second ministerial meeting, held in Sao Tome from 12 to 16 March 2011,

Noting the outcome of the United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty, held in New York from 2 to 27 July 2012, and noting also the second United Nations Conference to Review Progress Made in 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, held in New York from 27 August to 7 September 2012,

Convinced that the resources released by disarmament, including regional disarmament, can be devoted to economic and social development and to the protection of the environment for the benefit of all peoples, in particular those of developing countries,

Welcoming the declaration on a road map for counter-terrorism and non-proliferation of arms in Central Africa, adopted by the States members of the Standing Advisory Committee on 8 December 2011 at their thirty-third ministerial meeting, held in Bangui from 5 to 9 December 2011, and the progress made towards its implementation, including most recently through the holding of the workshop on police and security, in Libreville from 28 to 30 January 2014, and the workshop on customs, immigration, border control and small arms and light weapons for Central African States, in Bujumbura from 22 to 24 April 2014,

Bearing in mind that the implementation of the road map should be compliant with relevant legal and administrative obligations, as set out in Security Council resolutions 1373 (2001) of 28 September 2001, 1624 (2005) of 14 September 2005 and 1963 (2010) of 20 December 2010, as well as with the four pillars of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy,

Considering the importance and effectiveness of confidence-building measures taken on the initiative and with the participation of all States concerned and taking into account the specific characteristics of each region, since such measures can contribute to regional stability and to international peace and security,

Convinced that development can be achieved only in a climate of peace, security and mutual confidence both within and among States,

Recalling the Brazzaville Declaration on Cooperation for Peace and Security in Central Africa, the Bata Declaration for the Promotion of Lasting Democracy, Peace and Development in Central Africa and the Yaoundé Declaration on Peace, Security and Stability in Central Africa,

Bearing in mind resolutions 1196 (1998) and 1197 (1998), adopted by the Security Council on 16 and 18 September 1998, respectively, following its consideration of the report of the Secretary-General on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa,

Welcoming the successful conclusion of the Summit of Heads of State and Government on Maritime Safety and Security in the Gulf of Guinea, held in Yaoundé on 24 and 25 June 2013, and the inauguration in Yaoundé, on 11 September 2014, of the interregional coordination centre for maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea,

Welcoming also the outcome of the high-level meetings on poaching and illicit wildlife trafficking, held on the margins of the high-level segments of the sixty-eighth and sixty-ninth sessions of the General Assembly and hosted by Gabon and Germany,

Emphasizing the need to strengthen the capacity for conflict prevention and peacekeeping in Africa, and noting in this regard the concrete conflict prevention initiatives facilitated by the Department of Political Affairs of the Secretariat,

Welcoming the close cooperation established between the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa and the Economic Community of Central African States, as well as the signing of a framework of cooperation agreement between the two entities on 3 May 2012,

Bearing in mind the increased focus of the Standing Advisory Committee on human security questions, such as trafficking in persons, especially women and children, as an important consideration for subregional peace, stability and conflict prevention,

Expressing concern about the situation in the Central African Republic, and welcoming the efforts of the African Union and the Economic Community of Central African States, the adoption of the Kigali Declaration by the States members of the Standing Advisory Committee on 23 August 2013 at their thirty-sixth ministerial meeting, held in Kigali from 20 to 23 August 2013, and the adoption of resolutions 2121 (2013) of 10 October 2013, 2134 (2014) of 28 January 2014 and 2149 (2014) of 10 April 2014 by the Security Council,

Welcoming in this regard the efforts of the African-led International Support Mission in the Central African Republic towards the re-establishment of security in the Central African Republic, and the establishment of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic on 10 April 2014 and subsequent rehatting of Support Mission troops into Stabilization Mission peacekeepers on 15 September 2014,

Expressing concern about the increasing impact of cross-border criminality, in particular the activities of armed groups, such as Boko Haram and the Lord’s Resistance Army, and incidents of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, on peace, security and development in Central Africa,

Considering the urgent need to prevent the possible movement of illicit weapons, mercenaries and combatants involved in conflicts in the Sahel and in neighbouring countries in the Central African subregion,

1. Reaffirms its support for efforts aimed at promoting confidence-building measures at the regional and subregional levels in order to ease tensions and conflicts in Central Africa and to further sustainable peace, stability and development in the subregion;

2. Reaffirms the importance of disarmament and arms limitation programmes in Central Africa carried out by the States of the subregion with the support of the United Nations, the African Union and other international partners;

3. Welcomes the steps taken by States members of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa to facilitate the early entry into force of the Central African Convention for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, Their Ammunition and All Parts and Components That Can Be Used for Their Manufacture, Repair and Assembly (Kinshasa Convention), and encourages States members of the Standing Advisory Committee and other interested States to provide financial support for the implementation of the Convention;

4. Encourages the States members of the Standing Advisory Committee to implement the declaration on a road map for counter-terrorism and non-proliferation of arms in Central Africa, and requests the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001) concerning counter-terrorism and the international community to support those measures;

5. Also encourages the States members of the Standing Advisory Committee to carry out the programmes of activities adopted at their ministerial meetings;

6. Appeals to the international community to support the efforts undertaken by the States concerned to implement disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes;

7. Welcomes the adoption, during the Summit of Heads of State and Government on Maritime Safety and Security in the Gulf of Guinea, held in Yaoundé on 24 and 25 June 2013, of the Code of Conduct concerning the Prevention and Repression of Piracy, Armed Robbery against Ships, and Illegal Maritime Activity in West and Central Africa, which defines the regional maritime security strategy and paves the way for a legally binding instrument, and the decision to establish, in Cameroon, an interregional coordination centre responsible for coordinating the implementation of the regional strategy, and requests the Secretary-General to support the implementation of the outcomes of the Summit, including through the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa;

8. Expresses concern over the negative impact that poaching and illegal wildlife trafficking have on the ecosystem, human development and regional security, and calls upon Member States to take immediate concerted action to counter this phenomenon;

9. Expresses its full support for the efforts of the Economic Community of Central African States, the African Union and the United Nations in the Central African Republic, and calls upon the international community to support these efforts;

10. Encourages the States members of the Standing Advisory Committee to pursue their discussions on concrete conflict prevention initiatives, and requests the assistance of the Secretary-General in this regard;

11. Requests the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa, in collaboration with the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa, to facilitate the efforts undertaken by the States members of the Standing Advisory Committee, in particular for their execution of the Implementation Plan for the Kinshasa Convention, as adopted on 19 November 2010 at their thirty-first ministerial meeting, held in Brazzaville from 15 to 19 November 2010;

12. Requests the Secretary-General and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to continue to assist the countries of Central Africa in tackling the problems of refugees and displaced persons in their territories;

13. Requests the Secretary-General and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to provide their full assistance for the proper functioning of the Subregional Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa;

14. Reminds the States members of the Standing Advisory Committee of the commitments they undertook on the adoption of the Declaration on the Trust Fund of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa (Libreville Declaration) on 8 May 2009, and invites those States members of the Committee that have not already done so to contribute to the Trust Fund;

15. Urges other Member States and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to support the activities of the Standing Advisory Committee effectively through voluntary contributions to the Trust Fund;

16. Urges the States members of the Standing Advisory Committee, in accordance with Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) of 31 October 2000, to strengthen the gender component of the various meetings of the Committee relating to disarmament and international security;

17. Expresses its satisfaction to the Secretary-General for his support to the Standing Advisory Committee, welcomes the role played by the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa, and strongly encourages the States members of the Committee and international partners to support the work of the Office, including by ensuring that it has adequate resources to undertake its mandate;

18. Welcomes the efforts of the Standing Advisory Committee towards addressing cross-border security threats in Central Africa, including activities of Boko Haram and the Lord’s Resistance Army, and acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea, as well as the fallout from the situation in Libya and the crisis in Mali, and also welcomes the role of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa in coordinating those efforts, working closely with the Economic Community of Central African States, the African Union and all relevant regional and international partners;

19. Expresses its satisfaction to the Secretary-General for his support for the revitalization of the activities of the Standing Advisory Committee, and requests him to continue to provide the assistance needed to ensure the success of its regular biannual meetings;

20. Calls upon the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its seventieth session a report on the implementation of the present resolution;

21. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its seventieth session, under the item entitled “Review and implementation of the Concluding Document of the Twelfth Special Session of the General Assembly”, the sub-item entitled “Regional confidence-building measures: activities of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa”.

62nd plenary meeting 2 December 2014