Statement By the representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran Before 12th Session of Working Group on Firearms Agenda Item (2): Contribution of the Firearms Protocol to conflict prevention and peacebuilding efforts (28 and 29 April 2025) In the name of God, the most Compassionate, the most merciful Mr. Chair, At the outset, my delegation would like to congratulate you as the chair of this important session. I am confident that, under your able leadership, the present session would result in a successful outcome. I would also like to express my appreciation to the Secretariat for its hard work in preparation for this session and the panellists for their insightful presentations. As a victim of foreign-sponsored terrorists and facing persistent threats from organised crime and drug trafficking associated with the illicit trade in Firearms , the Islamic Republic of Iran continues to be dedicated to fighting the illegal trafficking of Firearms and places great importance on the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components, and Ammunition supplementing the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (Firearms Protocol). Despite not being a signatory, Iran's practices comply with almost every aspect of the Protocol. We have enacted laws within our domestic framework concerning illicit Firearms, with appropriate and proportionate penalties. These include the “Act on Punishment of Trafficking in Firearms and Ammunition and Carriers of Illegal Firearms and Ammunition”, and the “Act on Intensification of Punishment of Trafficking in Firearms and Ammunition and Armed Smugglers”. We have, also, made significant improvements in our efforts in this regard, including “implementation of Action Plans to counter terrorist groups”, “enhancing border control to counter terrorism, illicit trade, and the trafficking of Firearms”, “identifying and countering arms trafficking gangs”, “establishment and implementation of a system recording bullets and cases of detected weapons by Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Police)”, “training and informing in order to increase public awareness about the negative impacts and risks of illicit trade and traffic in Firearms”. This process has led to the detection and collection of more than 60,000 illicit weapons in 2022 and 2023 smuggled from some neighbouring countries. Currently, Iran has established appropriate laws and necessary mechanisms to provide policy guidelines and facilitate coordination among relevant national bodies. We have made significant progress in combating the illicit trade in Firearms, as well as the associated issues, particularly drug trafficking. Our dedication to implementing regulations similar to the Firearms Protocol is evident in the sacrifice of nearly 5,000 law enforcement personnel who have lost their lives in this fight. The rising numbers of illicit Firearms, particularly the manufacturing and trafficking of untraceable Firearms, constitute a significant threat to international peace and security. We underscore that the effective implementation of the Firearms Protocol can enhance the operational capacities of UN peacekeeping missions by curbing the influx of illicit Firearms into different parts of the world. We emphasize that such implementation must respect the sovereignty of States and be conducted in accordance with the principles enshrined in the UN Charter, particularly respect for sovereign equality, territorial integrity and non-intervention in domestic affairs. The Firearms Protocol should not be misused to justify intrusive mandates; rather, it should enhance peace processes that are owned nationally. We believe that the Firearms Protocol could contribute to Security Sector Reform (SSR) by promoting standardised procedures for marking, record-keeping, and tracing of Firearms, thereby enhancing transparency and accountability within security institutions. Iran has enacted comprehensive domestic legislation, including by defining national competent authorities to oversee the implementation of such measures. The provisions of the Protocol can enhance the Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) processes by ensuring the thorough documentation and disposal of collected Firearms, thereby preventing their re-circulation. Iran's national action plans have effectively resulted in the seizure and destruction of substantial quantities of illicit weapons, underscoring our dedication to these goals. Mr. Chair,Last but not least, It is evident that the preventing and combating of the illicit manufacturing and trafficking of Firearms is a shared responsibility of all States, especially the States with the biggest gun industries. Developing countries should have access to modern technologies and equipment for manufacturing and marking Firearms through every available means. This is particularly important in light of the urgent need to increase international cooperation by providing capacity building and technical assistance necessary to combat illicit trade in Firearms to developing countries without any discrimination and/or politicization, such as x-ray machines, full-body scanners, advanced radars to control borders, etc. to combat and strengthen the ability of countries to identify, detect, and disrupt trafficking flows. At the same time, we should incorporate education and awareness-raising efforts regarding new trends in the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking of Firearms, their parts and components, and ammunition.I thank you for your attention.