UN News Center
UN peace messenger Michael Douglas backs UN conference on gun trafficking
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=18645&Cr=small&Cr1=arms

26 May 2006 – In a new public service announcement, actor Michael Douglas, a United Nations Messenger of Peace, spotlights the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons and promotes an upcoming UN conference aimed at addressing the problem.

The UN Conference to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons will be held in New York from 26 June to 7 July.

“The Conference is an opportunity for UN Member States to build on the Programme of Action and to encourage countries to strengthen their laws on the illicit trade,” says Mr. Douglas of the plan unanimously adopted by Member States in 2001 to combat illegal small arms and ensure that they are kept out of the wrong hands.

Part of a UN public information campaign, the announcement calls attention to the dangers posed by the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, including their humanitarian and social impact on children and the civilian population in general.

Award-winning actor and producer Michael Douglas was appointed a Messenger of Peace by Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 1998.  As a Messenger of Peace, he has focused his advocacy on disarmament, including nuclear non-proliferation and stemming the spread of small arms, as well as on human rights.