NAIROBI, April 15 (Xinhuanet) -- Civil society representatives attending a three-day global conference in Nairobi to address the proliferation and misuse of arms on Friday called for tougher action to regulate the flow of the deadly weapons.

    The conference, organized by the Control Arms Campaign, the Africa Peace Forum, the Arias Foundation and Saferworld, brought together 200 delegates from 75 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East and America.

    In his opening remarks, Kenyan Foreign Affairs Minister Chirau Mwakwere called on governments to agree on a set of clear universal standards for arms transfers.

    The minister said the proliferation of deadly weapons, which is rampant in Africa, fuel conflicts and hinders development by creating an environment of fear and insecurity.

    Debbie Hillier, policy advisor for Oxfam, called on governments and civil society to work proactively and effectively together to address the problem of arms at each level -- stemming the source of the supply, and addressing the root causes of why people possess arms in insecurity environments.

    "The next 15 months to the United Nations Review Conference on Small Arms and Light Weapons in July 2006 are critical for governments to make decisions that could save millions of people's lives," said Hillier.

    "In July 2006, all governments will have the opportunity to agree on the need for an Arms Trade Treaty," she added.

    Ochieng Adala from the African Peace Forum, a conflict resolution organization, said the conference will develop some guidelines for governments and civil society to control the manufacture, transfer and sale of small arms by creating a registry to keep track of the flow of the arms.

    "Thousands of innocent people are maimed, tortured or forced to flee their homes. The uncontrolled proliferation of arms fuels human rights violations, escalates conflicts and intensifies poverty," Adala said.

    It is estimated that 650 million illegal arms are in circulation all over the world.

    Sub-Saharan Africa alone is reported to have close to 30 million weapons in circulation, the vast majority of which are in private hands.

    A proliferation of machine guns, rifles, grenades, pistols and other small arms has caused the deaths of millions of civilians in Africa and the displacement of millions more.

    In April 2004, 11 countries from the Great Lakes and the Horn of Africa signed an agreement in Kenya to combat illicit manufacturing, trafficking and use of small arms in the subregion.

    The states that signed the declaration called for the destruction and disposal of these weapons. Enditem