Small arms and light weapons are an enormous problem. They kill over 300,000 people every year, cause injury to over 900,000 people and affect millions indirectly through the dislocation of communities and destruction of livelihoods. This official UK policy briefing summarises the damage caused by small arms and light weapons and outlines current UK initiatives to combat the problem. There are an estimated 550 million small arms and light weapons: One for every 10 people on the planet. Small arms and light weapons are also cheap, durable, robust, easy to manufacture and copy and have a long lifespan. It is difficult to achieve effective controls: The manufacture and trade of small arms and light weapons is decentralised, and illicit transfers are believed to account for a significant proportion of the global trade—a market which is thought to be worth over one billion dollars annually. The proliferation of small arms and light weapons also has serious development costs: Post-conflict reconstruction and political, social and economic development are undermined, as are the security and stability of the country or region.
The UK Government has responded to this problem in the following manner:
- It has set up a committee mandated to combat illicit trafficking, pursue a ‘responsible and transparent’ policy on legal transfers, and promote the removal and destruction of weapons
- It is working towards securing agreements with the European Union (EU) and Organisation for Security Co- operation in Europe (OSCE) and has pledged its support for the UN’s 2001 Programme of Action on Small Arms
- The UK Small Arms and Light Weapons Programme has said that it will be working on practical programmes over the next three years to reduce the volume of weapons in circulation
- The UK has pledged its support for governments and civil society organisations in affected regions in order to build political commitment and effective controls
- The UK has said it will support the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) initiative to help countries develop their own weapons collection, management and destruction programmes, by providing UK experts in this area.
Because the proliferation of small arms and light weapons is a worldwide problem, it requires a comprehensive, coordinated response at the local, national, regional and global levels. General recommendations are that:
- A comprehensive response should integrate the perspectives of defence, development, foreign policy, law enforcement and trade and needs to work in partnership with international institutions
- Agreements to control small arms will have little impact unless they are matched by efforts to collect, securely manage and destroy the weapons in circulation
- Peace accords must provide for demobilisation, disarmament and the rehabilitation of combatants
- Peacekeeping operations must make provision for weapons collection and destruction
- These measures will only be effective if they take place within the framework of a programme for Security Sector Reform — the remodelling of the military forces and structures appropriate to the legitimate defence needs of a country.
