This session aims to continue to develop and adopt political commitments to address emerging issues in ammunition management, ensuring security, safety and sustainable ammunition management at the national, regional and global levels. Speaking at the session, many countries said that ineffective management of conventional ammunition has increased the risk of threats to peace, security and sustainable development globally.

Minister Counselor Le Thi Minh Thoa, Deputy Head of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations, spoke at the meeting.

The misuse of ammunition by non-state actors such as organized crime groups and terrorists has exacerbated conflicts and armed violence in some places. In addition, many countries have suffered from accidental ammunition explosions, causing loss of life and destruction of critical infrastructure. In this context, countries have emphasized the need for a global framework for the safe and effective management of ammunition.

Attending the meeting, Minister Counselor Le Thi Minh Thoa, Deputy Head of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations, shared the international community's common concerns about the risks and challenges of illegal trading, transfer, misuse and ineffective management of ammunition.

For the global framework to be effective, the Vietnamese representative stressed that any framework on conventional ammunition management must be consistent with the fundamental principles of international law and the UN Charter, as well as ensuring the legitimate rights and interests of States in producing, possessing, purchasing and transferring weapons and ammunition for defense and security purposes.

The framework should be voluntary, non-binding, taking into account the level of development and national legislation, and should not impose additional burdens on developing countries. At the same time, the framework should also take advantage of existing mechanisms related to ammunition such as the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons, the UN Convention against Transnational Crime, as well as the efforts of countries in this regard. In this process, support and cooperation with developing countries in capacity building, technology transfer and resource support are very important in ensuring the safe management of ammunition.

VNA