'Small Arms Survey' launched, as UN panel reviews curbing illicit weapons trade

The 2003 edition of the World Small Arms Survey - focusing the spread of small arms and human development - was launched today at United Nations Headquarters in New York where government representatives are meeting for the first time to consider implementation of a UN Action Plan for eradicating the illicit small arms trade.

Peter Batchelor, the Survey’s Programme Manager, introduced the new report at a press conference this morning, highlighting the direct link between the spread of small arms and economic underdevelopment. This finding was especially relevant in light of the situation in Iraq and the visit to Africa by United States President George Bush, he added.

Noting that poor people in the developing world were more than twice as likely to die from small arms than their counterparts in the developed countries, he highlighted the weapons’ indirect effects. For example, they impeded the tasks of aid workers and relief agencies. Small arms injuries also led to permanent disabilities, which had obvious effects on labour patterns, and their availability caused increases in crime and a greater displacement of people.

In addition, Mr. Batchelor said, such weapons discouraged teachers and children from going to school and farmers from taking their goods to the market. Increased violence also affected revenue collection for social expenditures. Turning to Iraq, he said it was difficult to engage in post-conflict reconstruction and achieve security and stability in volatile regions when such weapons were available.

He said the Survey shows, among other things, that the industry had continued to grow and that the United States and the Russian Federation were dominating the field. On stockpiles, it revealed that, although Europeans thought they lived in a gun-free society, there were actually 84 million firearms in the European Union (EU), 80 per cent of which were in civilian hands. It also showed that the EU as a whole was the largest small arms exporter.

Meanwhile, the first biennial meeting to consider implementation of the UN Action Plan entered its second day, after hearing a call from Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Monday for redoubled efforts to curb a "global scourge" that kills about 60 people every hour. The current meeting will focus on exchanging information on initiatives undertaken thus far by states, regional and international organizations, and civil society.

The Plan, formally known as the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, identifies national, regional and global measures, including: legislation on illegal manufacturing, possession, stockpiling and trade in small arms; stockpile management and destruction of weapons confiscated, seized, or collected; identification and tracing of the illicit arms; international cooperation and assistance to States to strengthen their ability to identify and trace the illicit weapons; and public awareness campaigns.