PRESS CONFERENCE ON SMALL ARMS SURVEY 2003

PRESS CONFERENCE ON SMALL ARMS SURVEY 2003

The 2003 edition of the Small Arms Survey proved that there was a direct link between the spread of small arms and economic underdevelopment, Peter Batchelor, Programme Manager of the “Small Arms Survey 2003”, told correspondents at the text’s launch this morning.

Speaking against the backdrop of the First Biennial Meeting of States to Consider the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects, Mr. Batchelor was joined by Jeno Staehelin, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations, and Keith Krause, Director of the Small Arms Survey.

At the beginning of the launch, Mr. Staehelin expressed his commitment to fighting the uncontrolled spread of small arms and light weapons.  His Government’s dedication to the issue had been demonstrated in four areas.  First, on a policy level, it had joined France in launching an initiative regarding the marking, registration, and tracing of small arms and light weapons.  Second, it was an active donor, contributing, for example, $740,000 to the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) trust fund for the prevention and reduction of the proliferation of small arms.  Third, his Government supported initiatives associated with the implementation of the United Nations Programme of Action at the national, regional, and universal levels.  Thus, it was not concerned with only its own environment, but with Africa and Latin America, as well.  Finally, Switzerland supported research projects and institutions worldwide because it was convinced that the availability of comprehensive information was essential in the fight against small arms.

Telling correspondents that the first two editions of the yearbook had helped raise global awareness of the issue while stressing its complexity, he said the texts had become standard and essential tools for those involved in the field.  Additionally, the 2003 edition was original since it focused on the link between the proliferation of small arms and human development.  In that context, he acknowledged that such weapons threatened countries’ economies, as well as their citizens’ lives.  He also lauded the yearbook’s innovative nature.  For example, it offered a proposal on programmes to reduce the demand of small arms and light weapons.  Previously, strategies had only focused on reducing supply.

Mr. Batchelor said this year’s theme, the link between development and the spread of small arms, was especially relevant in light of the situation in Iraq and the visit to Africa by United States President George Bush.  Stating 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, 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.

Briefing correspondents on the book’s layout, he said that Chapter One, which looked at the production of small arms, showed that the industry had continued to grow and that the United States and the Russian Federation were dominating the field.  Focusing on stockpiles, Chapter Two 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.  According to Chapter Three, which examined the small arms trade, the European Union as a whole was the largest small arms exporter.

Speaking next, Mr. Krause highlighted the yearbook’s three case studies:  Yemen; Georgia; and the Republic of Congo.  Yemen, although one of the most heavily armed countries in the world, did not have a particularly high crime level.  The case of Georgia, on the other hand, showed how small arms availability after the collapse of the Soviet Union had worsened a conflict by increasing its scale.  Finally, in the Republic of Congo, weapons collection programmes had never been carried out in a committed manner.  Thus, fighting had resumed in 2000.  The three cases demonstrated the diverse nature of small arms studies.

Asked about the growth of small arms in the world, Mr. Krause confirmed that additions to global stockpiles had exceeded the number of weapons that had been destroyed.

Responding to a charge that the continued growth was disappointing, Mr. Staehelin admitted that the trend was frustrating.  Nevertheless, since countries were only now beginning to pay attention to the problem, more time was needed to achieve better results.

Asked if arms sales could be stopped, Mr. Batchelor responded that the industry was not particularly lucrative, with one Belgian supplier even filing for bankruptcy.  Additionally, a small arms surplus left over from the cold war was lowering the price of such weapons on the global market, and that was perhaps discouraging other companies from entering the business.

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