A Programme of Action to Address the Human Cost of

Small Armsand Light Weapons

A Programme of Action to Address the Human Cost of

Small Armsand Light Weapons

Inter-Agency Standing CommitteeInter-Agency Standing CommitteeICR

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Addressing the Human Costs of Small Arms and Light Weapons:a Programme of ActionThe uncontrolled trade in small arms andlight weapons is a matter of life anddeath to people around the world. Thefailure to control this trade effectivelyhas serious humanitarian consequencesas the resulting widespread use of theseweapons causes immense human suffe-ring. It is estimated that each year seve-ral hundred thousand people are killedby small arms, and countless more sustainnon-fatal injuries leading in many ins-tances to severe and chronic disabilities.

The proliferation of small arms is a majorproblem for humanitarian and develop-ment agencies working to meet theneeds of the people who live in theseshattered communities. So devastating isthe impact of these weapons, they arenow considered one of the major obs-tacles to achieving sustainable humandevelopment. The proliferation and useof small arms has even reversed the deve-lopment gains of past decades.

Recent studies commissioned by the Inter-Agency StandingCommittee (IASC) members have highlighted the following resultsfrom the proliferation and irresponsible use of small arms and lightweapons.

The presence and the use of small arms and light weapons have:• Caused millions of deaths.

• Produced millions of injuries often leading to permanent disability, thus burdeningcommunities and health systems as a whole.

• Killed and disabled the most vulnerable civilians, in particular children and women,and facilitated the recruitment and use of children as soldiers.

• Resulted in numerous serious violations of human rights and international humanita-rian law.

• Fueled insecurity and have increased the risk of wider violent conflicts.

• Caused massive social disruption, including forced displacement, resulting in reducedaccess to basic needs.

• Acted as a magnifier of violence, both in conflict and non-conflict situations, genera-ting a culture of violence affecting all social groups, including children and women,who have usually been outside the traditional patterns of conflict.

• Threatened the security of refugees and displaced people and have undermined thecivilian and humanitarian nature of camps and settlements.

• Prevented many people from achieving a sustainable livelihood. Farming communi-ties are too scared to tend their fields for fear of falling victim to unpredictable assaultby armed groups operating in their area.

• Created a climate where it is impossible to attract investment and conduct business.

• Contributed to the deterioration of the institutions of health and education, producingpoor health and educational prospects for the local population.

• Contributed to the destruction of essential infrastructure.

• Exacerbated crime-related violence.

• Have caused the deaths of humanitarian workers and hindered humanitarian access.

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Small arms and light weapons present anenormous challenge, and the call forchange has come from within the com-munities affected by these arms.Responding to these calls, from Albaniato Mali, from Kenya to Cambodia, UNagencies, international and nationalNon-Governmental Organizations areworking with communities and indivi-duals who want to find alternatives toan armed response to their situation.

While primary responsibility for the pro-blem rests with States, our group ofhumanitarian and development organi-zations, has committed ourselves to thefollowing actions and will report back tothe Review Conference on the progresswe have made.

A Programme of Action to Address the Human Cost

For many victims of violence hurt by smallarms, access to adequate pre-hospitalcare and emergency medical treatmentdecides the difference between life anddeath, and between survival with orwithout major disability. Alongside pre-vention efforts, support for country- andlocal-level improvement of these treat-ment services is fundamental to ensuringthat victims of small arms injuries aregiven the best possible chances of survi-val and reintegration into society.

At the point of treatment the “who,what, when, where and how” of the inci-dent can be recorded, and through sus-tained registration, the area-specific pro-file of injuries due to small arms is readi-ly defined. This process is known as vio-lence and injury surveillance, and pro-vides information that is fundamental tothe design, targeting and evaluation ofprevention programmes.

Country-based ProjectsImproving pre-hospital and emergency medical care andsurveillance of small arms injuries

Examples of what we are doing:

• Development of pre-hospital care guidelines forless-resourced contexts.

• Emergency first aid training for trainers at natio-nal level, and for providers at district level, inAngola, Mozambique and Cambodia.

• Establishment of sentinel violence and injurysurveillance sites at hospital emergency roomsin Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya and Mozambique.

• Development of guidelines for violence andinjury surveillance in less-resourced contexts.

• Provision of expert advice on applying injurysurveillance data for the design of preventionprogrammes in Mozambique.

Members of the IASC pledge themselves to:

• Continue to promote work aimed at savinglives and improving the future prospects ofvictims of small arms.

• Continue to gather information relating tosmall arms injuries to create better informed programme responses.

A child stands beside a soldier, holding on to his rifle, on a street in Sarajevo.

UNICEF/ Senad GUBELIC

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A key element towards promoting asafer environment in post-conflict situa-tions is the disarmament, demobilizationand reintegration of ex-combatants,combined with the collection and des-truction of weapons. In our experience,this cannot be done successfully in isola-tion, but must be part of an overall fra-mework of security, human rights anddevelopment.

Members of the IASC pledge themselves to:

• Explore further interventions in post-conflict countries, for example the GreatLakes Region, Tajikistan, Haiti, Peru, thePhilippines and Sierra Leone.

• Continue to advocate the importance ofDDR programmes and providing supportfor their implementation.

Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) and Weapons collection programmes

Examples of what we are doing:

• Creation of a Trust Fund for Supportto the Prevention and Reduction of the proliferation of Small Arms to support the development of comprehensive small arms strategies inprogramme countries.

• Programmes that provide developmentincentives for arms collection, such asin Niger, Mali and Albania.Strengthening of the security sector,and providing governance support,such as in Honduras and Somalia.

• Provision of expert advice to collectand destroy weapons in the SolomonIslands, Niger and Republic of Congo.

• Provision of skills and job training forex-combatants and for victims ofconflict.

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Demobilized soldiers are assisted in starting anew civilian life.

UNHCR / L. TAYLOR

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Child SoldiersAn estimated 300,000 children are ser-ving as child soldiers around the world.Members of the IASC are already workingto demobilize and reintegrate childrenwho have been used in hostilities as com-batants, porters, spies, cooks and sexslaves.

Examples of what we are doing:

• Involvement in the Democratic Republicof Congo to demobilize children and toprevent recruitment of children.

• In Sierra Leone, creation of a programmeto work with 5,400 former child soldiers.

Members of the IASC pledge themselves to: • Continue to put pressure on armed groups

to release children being used in theirforces and to stop recruiting children.

• Stand ready to promote the physical andpsychological recovery and social re-integration of children who have takenpart in armed conflicts.

Adolescent boys who are former child sol-diers sit on the ground, still holding theirweapons, before the start of a demobiliza-tion ceremony in a transit camp near thetown of Rumbek, capital of the province ofLakes in southern Sudan,after being evacua-ted by UNICEF from a combat zone in a near-by province.

UNICEF / Stevie MANN

A child playing with a magazine of an AK47 whichhas not been destroyed.

ICRC / Boris HEGER

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Improving security in areas populated by displaced people

It is a well-established principle ininternational law that governmentshave primary responsibility for the physical protection of displaced peopleon their territory, but IASC members are involved where their mandate and expertise allows in improving the security for displaced people.

Examples of what we are doing:• Deployment and training of special

police contingents.

• Building the capacity of local lawenforcement authorities to helpthem maintain the rule of law inrefugee populated areas.

• Provision of training on refugee andhuman rights law to law enforcers.

• Community-based approach toaddress gender-based violence fuel-led by the presence of small arms.

Members of the IASC pledge themselves to:

• Continue to develop customized protec-tion mechanisms through the strengthe-ning of local capacities, complementingand enhancing State’s responsibilities,rather than substituting for it.

• Strengthen cooperation between UNHCRand DPKO to enable a better response tosituations where refugee-populated areashave become militarized.

• Pursue the establishment of a standbyteam of experts (Humanitarian SecurityOfficers) to be deployed at start of crisis tostop armed elements becoming tooentrenched amongst the refugees.

UNHCR / M. KOBAYASHI

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Community peace building and education

The first step to enable communities tofeel secure enough to surrender weaponsis often community-level peace building.Many IASC members through their deve-lopment and humanitarian work hold aunique position of trust in these commu-nities, enabling them to act as initiators

or supporters of dialogue between war-ring groups. We are also working tocounter the culture of violence throughpeace education in many countriesaround the world. We are mountingpublic information and awareness raisingprogrammes to counter the acceptanceand daily use of small arms.

Examples of what we are doing:

• Work with women’s groups in Kenyaand Mali to assist their efforts to redu-ce incidents of armed violence in theircommunities.

• Promotion of confidence buildingmeasures, such as a cricket league ofmixed teams in Sri Lanka and recrea-tional activities for youth throughMillennium Peace Tournaments inSomalia.

• Training of National Police in Haiti toimprove civilian security.

• Promotion of the concept of “childrenas zones of peace” and ‘schools aszones of peace’, to allow children todevelop safe from violence.

• Bringing young people in Kosovo andAlbania together under the banner‘Don’t let guns kill our dreams!’

Members of the IASC pledge themselves to:

• Continue to look for opportunities to workwith community groups and start new projects to create conditions reducingarmed violence.

• Strengthen a culture of peace which questions gun dependency and gun glorification, counters the use of smallarms and light weapons and promotesalternatives to violent conflict resolution.

Children outside Mapela school inSouth Africa, part of a "Gun FreeZone" project run by Gun Free SouthAfrica.

OXFAM / Brian Moody

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Coordinating response to small arms in crisis situations

Since small arms are often a significantharmful factor in emerging crisis situa-tions, just being aware of the threat theypose, and being able to deal with themquickly are essential to a successful huma-nitarian and development response.

Promoting a better understanding of the small arms issue

Examples of what we are doing:

• Collaboration with NGOs on the research project ‘The Impact of Small Arms on Children’.

• Research into the human cost of small arms.

• Initiation of dialogue on small arms and development between donors, NGOs and UNdevelopment agencies in Geneva to contribute to building an integrated approach thatachieves sustainable solutions to the problem of small arms.

• Support for the Global Survey on Small Arms.

• Development of guidelines for programme officers and field staff faced with small armsissues to identify options and strategies to deal with small arms in pursuit of overall deve-lopment and humanitarian goals.

CollaborationRecognizing that the magnitude and complexity of the problem of small armsdemands a joint effort, all members of the IASC carry out their activities in closecooperation with States, other UN agencies and civil society. They work togetherboth on projects and advocacy at country level, regionally and internationally.

Examples of what we are doing:

• Establishment of an Emergency andSecurity Service as well as an EmergencyOperation Center to coordinate all aspectsof emergency preparedness as well as theprotection, safety and security of civilians,including refugees, and staff in the field.

• Creation of the Emergency ResponseDivision to provide support to programmecountries seeking to build institutionalcapacities, interalia to prevent violentconflicts and promote measures to reduceweapons availability, as an essential part ofits work, combined with longer termefforts to reduce demand.

Members of the IASC pledge themselves to:• Work with partners dealing with supply-

side issues, advocating for political processes, restraint and other legal measures to counter the illicit trade.

OXFAM / Jenny MATTHEWS

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Members of the IASC pledge themselves to:

• Perform population-based surveys to esta-blish the magnitude of deaths and injuriesresulting from small arms in order toinform prevention programmes and provi-de baseline data for the monitoring ofintervention effectiveness.

• Undertake further studies in countries andregions where the human cost of smallarms has not yet been researched.

• Continue to raise awareness and promote abroad understanding of the humanitarianconsequences of small arms

• Strengthen data collection on the impact ofconflict on children, including small arms

Global impact

Examples of what we are doing• Support for the development and imple-

mentation of the ECOWAS Moratoriumon the Import, Export and Manufactureof Small Arms and Light Weapons, a pro-gramme that is building both regionaland national institutions to confront thesmall arms problem.

• Support for the process of theOrganization of African Unity leading tothe Bamako Declaration.

• Support for the agreed NairobiDeclaration to tackle the issue, includingby developing regional mechanisms, tocurtail small arms traffic in East Africa.

Members of the IASC are working to achieve the following:

• Establish small arms as a major humanitarian and development issue demanding urgent action • Introduce effective supply-side measures, such as the adoption by States of international criteria

on arms transfers.• Achieve rapid and universal adoption, by governments, of the Optional Protocol to the

Convention on the Rights of the Child, establishing 18 years as the minimum age for participa-tion in conflict.

• Respect for the civilian nature of asylum and return of refugees to country of origin in safety anddignity.

• Curbing the demand for small arms by addressing the root causes of the conflict or violence.• Strengthen a culture of peace which promotes alternatives to violence and arms.• Compilation of global data on the impact of small arms

Members of the IASC pledge themselves to: • Support regional approaches to the pro-

blem, in particular in the Great LakesRegion and in West Africa.

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The illicit trade in small arms and lightweapons does not respect boundaries.National programmes are often inade-quate on their own to counter theuncontrolled proliferation of weaponsand regional approaches are required.

Building regional responses

Members of the IASC have witnessed thetragic humanitarian and developmentconsequences of the proliferation ofsmall arms throughout the world.Driven by this experience, we have pled-ged to work to advocate for changeboth at the national and internationallevel.

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ConclusionThe aspirations outlined in ourProgramme of Action will be undermi-ned unless accompanied by a new era ofresponsible management of transfers ofsmall arms and light weapons by allgovernments gathered at the UNConference on the Illicit Trade in SmallArm and Light Weapons in All ItsAspects.

In recognition of the fact that the proli-feration of small arms has become amajor humanitarian and developmentissue, Member States must set theirsights higher than the limited agendathey have formulated and take boldsteps to reverse the trend in uncontrol-led flows and use of arms, as well asmake a concerted effort to address theunderlying factors fuelling demand.

About the IASC: The Inter-Agency Standing Committee(IASC) was established and is guided in itswork by GA resolutions, as well as the IASCRules and Procedures. The IASC is the pri-mary mechanism for inter-agency coordi-nation of policy issues relating to humani-tarian assistance and for formulatingcoherent and timely response to major dis-asters and complex emergencies. GAResolution A/RES/46/182, adopted on 19December 1991, established the StandingCommittee under the chairmanship of theEmergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) andthe membership of the following UNAgencies: FAO, UNICEF, UNDP, UNHCR,WFP, WHO and OCHA.A standing invitation was made to theICRC, IFRC, IOM, UNHCHR, RSGIDP,World Bank and the three networks repre-senting Non Governmental HumanitarianAgencies : Inter Action, International Councilof Voluntary Agencies (ICVA), and theSteering Committee for HumanitarianResponse (SCHR) participate in IASC meetings as permanent invitees.

We commendfor the considerationof Member States the following actions:

We commendfor the considerationof Member States the following actions:

• The formulation of internationally agreed cri-teria for arms exports that will exclude theexport of small arms and light weapons toareas where there is a risk that they will beused in violation of international humanrights and humanitarian law, including therecruitment and use of children as soldiers, tofuel conflict or undermine sustainable deve-lopment.

• Commitment to address the humanitarian anddevelopment needs, that contribute to end-user demand for small arms and light wea-pons.

• Effective measures to stop the activities ofbrokers and shipping agents in the illicit tradein small arms, such as an internationalconvention on controlling the brokering andtrafficking of arms.

• A strengthened UN embargo system throughimproved implementation and monitoringprocedures.

• More effective end-user controls to stop thediversion of legal exports into illegal chan-nels.

• The creation of violence and injury surveillan-ce systems to improve understanding of theimpact of small arms and to evaluate theeffects of preventative measures.

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