The United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects was held in New York from 9 -20 July 2001 as decided in United Nations General Assembly Resolution 54/54 V. Preceded by three preparatory committee sessions, the two-week Conference resulted in the adoption of the 'Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects.'[1] States are required to report to the United Nations on the progress of their implementation of the UN Programme of Action, commonly known as the PoA.
The United Nations General Assembly scheduled a review conference in New York[2] which was held from 26 June to 7 July 2006.[3] The Review Conference was plagued by disagreements and states were unable to agree on a substantive outcome document.[4] There have also been four Biennial Meetings of States to consider the implementation of the Programme of Action, in 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2010. The 2008 Biennial Meeting of States resulted in the adoption, by vote,[5] of an Outcome Document[6] focusing on three main issues: international assistance, cooperation and capacity-building, stockpile management and surplus disposal and illicit brokering in small arms and light weapons. A review conference of the Programme of Action is scheduled for 2012.