Mr. President,
Today’s discussion concerns an issue which is crucial for international peace and security on several counts; stretching from terrorism to transnational organized crime, armed conflicts, gender-based violence, and sustainable development.

At the outset, I thank the briefers for sharing their valuable insights.

Türkiye remains highly concerned with the threat posed by the proliferation of illicit conventional weapons - particularly small arms and light weapons (SALW) and their ammunition.

Such diversion of weapons to unauthorized recipients, including especially to terrorist groups, poses an exceptionally grave threat, as experienced firsthand in our region.
We know all too well that it is innocent people and our societies that pay the price when terrorist groups obtain the means to threaten national security and disrupt socio-economic development.

Therefore, we must take all necessary measures at the national, regional and global levels in order to prevent and eradicate accumulation and illicit transfer of small arms and light weapons.

Mr. President,
Türkiye is firmly committed to the effective implementation of the UN Programme of Action and the International Tracing Instrument (ITI) to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in SALW.

On the historic occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Programme of Action, we need to ensure this instrument’s continued relevance – and this begins with renewing and strengthening our commitments.

Indeed, there is an urgent need to effectively address challenges resulting from recent developments in marketing, manufacturing, technology and design of these weapons.
To this end, we welcome the successful conclusion of 7th Biennial Meeting of States Parties (BMS7) and its substantive outcome document. We look forward to building on this as we work towards BMS8 which takes place next year.

Furthermore, we are encouraged by the consensus agreement on a report by the Group of Governmental Experts regarding problems arising from the accumulation of conventional ammunition stockpiles in surplus.

Mr. President,
We also believe that the Security Council can build on its existing body of work in this field. The recommendations in the latest report of the Secretary-General on small arms and light weapons (S/2021/839) provides a good basis for discussions, most notably the terrorism-arms-crime nexus.

Moving forward, we see a need to increase capacity-building assistance to better implement the Programme of Action, as well as effective border and export controls, risk assessments, sharing best practices, transparency and reporting.

The Security Council also has a key role to play in post-conflict settings, as small arms issues can be integrated into peace operations mandates, country-specific resolutions, and sanctions regimes.

It is clear that we need to harness this momentum, if we are to protect the people we serve.
Türkiye stands ready to contribute to this collective effort.

Thank you.