There are over 600 million small arms and light weapons in circulation worldwide. Of 49 major conflicts in the world in the 1990s, 47 were waged with small arms as the weapons of choice. How can these weapons be taken out of circulation? What hands-on measures are required to complement the recent spate of regional and international conventions to combat weapons flows?

A report from the UNDP looks at how small arms and light weapons destabilise regions as well as spark, fuel and prolong conflicts, obstruct relief programmes, undermine peace initiatives, exacerbate human rights abuses, hamper development and foster a culture of violence. Drawing on UNDP experience of supporting small arms and light weapons reduction initiatives, it showcases innovative examples from governments, civil society and multilateral institutions in order to promote some lessons.

In contrast to major conventional weapons, the manufacture and trade in small arms is highly decentralised. With nearly 600 companies in at least 95 countries actively manufacturing small arms and light weapons, prices are competitive and suppliers are plentiful.

Key lessons learned include:

• As the demand for weapons is often fuelled by insecurity, oppression, human rights violations and under-development, people will feel the need to arm themselves for self-protection until developing states are assisted to acquire the capacity to provide impartial security to all citizens.
• Reduction and transparency measures in arms trading, ownership and manufacture are fundamental to combat the misuse of arms.
• Disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration form a continuum that is vital to stabilising a post-conflict situation: demobilisation does not succeed unless accompanied by significant disarmament.
• Weapons left over from settled conflicts are likely to be diverted, and those collected in amnesties and recovered in crime are likely to flow back into the illegal market if they are not destroyed.
• Voluntary weapons collection schemes – rather than the use of cash incentives for gun buy-back schemes – are most likely to build confidence and forge collaborative networks.

The misuse of small arms and light weapons requires a concerted local, national, regional and global approach situated within the framework of a coherent development strategy for crisis prevention and recovery. Projects which are beginning to do so in a wide range of states are described.

In order to bolster the encouragingly large number of recent initiatives to get on top of the small arms menace, the UNDP calls for:

• building the capacity of armed forces and the police to manage, secure, account for and dispose of  weapon stockpiles and ammunitions in ways which are environmentally-sound and have effective political/psychological impact
• disrupting the cycles of violence induced by small arms and light weapons by challenging the glorification of war, weaponry, military force and violence – and the trivialisation of its impact – in popular media, sport and recreation
• creating opportunities for sustainable livelihoods and community development as an incentive for demobilisation and the collection of small arms
• more concerted support to ensure food, clothing, housing and other basic needs for ex-combatants and to support non-violent livelihoods
• promoting the transparency of military expenditures through participation in the UN standardised instrument for reporting military expenditures
• establishing and maintaining regional registers on the ownership, stockpiles, production, transfer and use of such arms and their ammunition in developing countries.

Source(s):
‘Small arms and light weapons’, ESSENTIALS No.9, Evaluation Office UNDP Practice Area: Crisis Prevention and Recovery Synthesis of Lessons Learned, United Nations Development Programme, October 2002 Full document.

Funded by: UNDP Evaluation Office

id21 Research Highlight: 4 July 2003

Further Information:
Small Arms and Light Weapons
Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR)
UNDP
One United Nations Plaza
New York, N.Y. 10017
USA

Tel: +1 (0)212 906 6376
Fax: +1 (0)212 906 6887
Contact the contributor: bcpr@undp.org

Small Arms and Demobilisation, Crisis Prevention and Recovery, UNDP

ESSENTIALS publication
Evaluation Office (EO)
UNDP
One United Nations Plaza
New York
N.Y. 10017
USA

Tel: +1 (0)212 906 5040
Fax: +1 (0)212 906 6008
Contact the contributor: contact.eo@undp.org

Evaluation Office, UNDP

Other related links:
'Holding up development: The effects of small arms and light weapons in developing countries'

'Understanding the AK-47 and M-16: small arms and development'

'The problem of child soldiers: listening to young combatants in East Asia'

More from the UN Peace and Security through Disarmament

The International Action Network on Small Arms

See the World Bank Demobilization and Reintegration Programme

More research from the UNDP Small Arms and Demobilisation Publications