Information keeps the wheel of accountability spinning.
Keeping this in mind, on the 28th and the 29th of April, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD) organized an online webinar on national reporting under the United Nations Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons Control (PoA) and the International Tracing Instrument (ITI) ahead of the Ninth Biennial Meeting of States (BMS9).
The UN Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PoA) and its International Tracing Instrument (ITI) are the core global frameworks to prevent and eradicate the illicit trade of small arms and light weapons. They require member states to enact strict legislation, maintain weapons inventories, and establish mechanisms for uniquely marking, recording, and tracing illicit arms.
National reporting under the UN PoA is more than a procedural obligation — it gives organizations like UNRCPD the ground-level intelligence needed to evaluate realities, tailor programmes, and target capacity-building in areas where it matters most. With the Ninth Biennial Meeting of States (BMS9) scheduled for 1–5 June 2026, this reporting takes on renewed urgency. The BMS9 is one of the key international forums for assessing how the PoA and the ITI are being implemented at national, regional, and global levels, and for unlocking the capacity-building, funding, and knowledge-sharing that help Member States do it better.
Designed for national PoA focal points, government officials, and security sector representatives, the webinar cut through the complexity of reporting obligations — walking participants through the online submission template step by step, and making the case for reporting practices that go beyond simple compliance to reflect cross-cutting priorities: gender responsiveness, youth considerations, and SDG indicator 16.4.2.
National reports do more than collect data — they build accountability. By submitting publicly available information on arms and ammunition, Member States actively counter misinformation, demonstrate progress, and signal priorities. In a global landscape where trust between states is hard-won and easily lost, transparency of this kind is not a bureaucratic formality. It is a foundation of credible arms control.
Laying emphasis on the above, Mr. Deepayan Basu Ray (Director, UNRCPD) delivered his opening remarks. Mr. Basu Ray highlighted the purpose of the webinar in making the reporting process clearer and more accessible. He also lay emphasis on the importance of such forums in bringing together focal points from Member States across the Asia-Pacific to foster trust, collaboration, and coordination in the region — an essential tool in bringing nations together in times where the world finds itself increasingly fragmented.
However, the region has much work to do before such cooperation can become the norm. Out of 55 countries considered part of the Asia-Pacific region under the UNRCPD framework, only 21 countries submitted reports in the previous reporting cycle. This figure becomes all the more concerning when compared to the 120 in 2018 and 100 in 2024 global reports submitted. While it is not surprising to see the dwindling numbers in today’s times, concentrated efforts must ensue to ensure it does not become a trend, with the UNRCPD offering ongoing support before, during, and after the submission period.
Mr. Takashi Mashiko (Programme Officer/Lead Coordinator for partnerships/Manager for UNSCAR, Conventional Arms Branch, UNODA) opened the webinar by explaining how the PoA reporting process falls within the broader global security architecture. He discussed how knowing real figures helps contextualize the true levels of armament in the world, legitimate and otherwise, and the efforts that can be taken in bringing down those figures.
Outlining the agenda for BMS9, Mr. Mashiko emphasized that the meeting would run concurrently with the Open-Ended Technical Expert Group (OETEG). The OETEG has been tasked with examining emerging manufacturing technologies, including polymer and 3D-printed weapons, as well as exploring emerging digital solutions like AI-assisted tracing.
However, these outcomes will remain unrealized unless the critical importance of the 15 May 2026 reporting deadline, not as an administrative milestone, but as a direct gateway to resources, is acknowledged. Submitted reports feed into a process that matches needs with donor support, paving the way for dedicated funding and enhanced capacity-building for the Member States that engage.
A live demonstration brought the reporting process to life. Mr. Mashiko walked participants through the PoA reporting database, showing how submitted data is processed, visualized, and made publicly accessible — turning national reports into tools for transparency and peer learning.
Carrying the discussion forward, Ms. Rajani Thapa (Programme Management Officer, UNRCPD) delivered a comprehensive overview of the national reporting framework, historical submission trends, and the practical application of the online template. She noted that while participation rates have remained steady, particularly across Africa and the Asia-Pacific region, reports frequently suffer from data gaps due to fragmented internal institutional coordination and limited technical capacity.
To mitigate these challenges, she introduced the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs online reporting portal as a dynamic, multilingual, and user-friendly platform that minimizes administrative burdens by allowing states to update and revise previous submissions.
Ms. Thapa then completed the latest online reporting template in real time, illustrating just how straightforward the submission process can be.
Available in all six official UN languages, the updated template allows Member States to build on previous submissions rather than starting from scratch each reporting cycle — a practical improvement that lowers the barrier to consistent engagement. She also reminded participants that every report filed enriches the global database, making it a more valuable resource for Member States and the wider arms control community alike.
While discussing country perspectives, Ms. Lea De Guzman, a licensing practitioner with the Philippines National Police and an alumnus of the UN Fellowship Training Program on Small Arms and Light Weapons Control, shared practical insights from the Philippines' reporting process, and noted how multiple agencies contribute inputs to the national report, which is then consolidated by the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Ms. Thapa closed with a set of clear, actionable messages. Keep national points of contact up to date. Submit late rather than not at all. Use reporting as a tool to match assistance needs with available resources — not merely as a compliance exercise.
She called for greater synergy between global and regional efforts to align reporting procedures and databases, and urged participants to ensure that the information gathered does not sit in silos, but feeds meaningfully into broader disarmament and development processes, on both, national and international levels.
The webinar concluded with a reaffirmation that strong PoA reports serve not only as compliance documents but as strategic tools for visibility, capacity-building, and mobilizing international partnership. UNRCPD remains committed to supporting Asia-Pacific States in PoAreporting and increasing regional submission rates.
For more information, contact unrcpd-info@un.org.
