Decision No. 3/06: Annex C to the Best Practice Guide on National Procedures for Stockpile Management and Security of the OSCE Handbook of Best Practices on Small Arms and Light Weapons

FSC.DEC/3/06
479th Plenary Meeting
FSC Journal No. 485, Agenda item 4

The Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC),

Recognizing the threats posed by unauthorized proliferation and use of man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS), especially to civil aviation, peacekeeping, crisis management and anti-terrorist operations,

Willing to complement and thereby reinforce the implementation of the OSCE Document on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW), in order to enhance effective export control of SALW in the OSCE area,

Determined to contribute to reducing the risk of diversion of SALW into the illicit market,

Bearing in mind that the OSCE Strategy to Address Threats to Security and Stability in the Twenty-First Century adopted at Maastricht in December 2003 notes that the OSCE is using all the tools at its disposal to address proliferation of MANPADS, categorized in the OSCE Document on Small Arms and Light Weapons as portable launchers of anti-aircraft missile systems,

Taking into account the following FSC decisions:

-- FSC Decision No. 11/02 which encouraged participating States to prepare, inter alia, a Best Practice Guide on national procedures for stockpile management and security,

-- FSC Decision No. 5/03 which welcomed the development of Best Practice Guides on SALW and envisaged their further review,

-- FSC Decision No. 7/03 which recognized that MANPADS should be given special attention and urged participating States to propose projects for tackling MANPADS-related problems including, inter alia, stockpile security and management,

-- FSC Decision No. 3/04 which recognized the threat posed by the unauthorized proliferation and use of MANPADS, adopted measures to enhance the effective export control of MANPADS in the OSCE area and made specific reference to assessment of the recipient government's physical security arrangements for MANPADS,

Decides to:

-- Attach to the Handbook of Best Practices on Small Arms and Light Weapons the document entitled "Annex C to the Handbook of Best Practices on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) FSC.GAL/14/03/Rev.2 (19 September 2003) Concerning the National Procedures for Stockpile Management and Security of Man-Portable Air Defence Systems (MANPADS)" (document FSC.DEL/33/06 of 3 March 2006);

-- Encourage participating States to make this MANPADS-specific annex available to all relevant national authorities for its implementation as appropriate;

-- Present this MANPADS-specific annex at the United Nations Conference to Review the Progress Made in the Implementation of the Programme of Action to be held in New York from 26 June to 7 July 2006;

-- Task the Conflict Prevention Centre to ensure the widest possible distribution of this MANPADS-specific annex after its completion;

-- Encourage the Partners for Co-operation and the Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation to take note of this MANPADS-specific annex and to consider opportunities to implement it as fully as possible;

-- Issue this MANPADS-specific annex in the six working languages of the Organization.