Armed Violence Prevention

Each year, 740,000 people are killed as a direct result of armed violence—almost one person a minute. It is estimated that at least 875 million small arms and light weapons are in circulation today. To find out more, go to:

Fast FactFast Facts: Armed Violence and Small Arms & Light Weapons (SALW) (pdf)

News

Geneva Review Summit on Armed Violence, September 2008

Youth and Armed Violence Prevention in El Salvador, 2008

Publications

Report of the Secretary-General, Promoting development through the reduction and prevention of armed violence, 2009

Policy paper on Armed Violence Reduction, OECD DAC, 2009 (pdf)

Armed Violence in Asia and the Pacific: An Overview of the Causes, Costs and Consquences, UNDP, 2008 (pdf)

Guns and roses: Gender and Armed Violence in Africa, UNDP, October 2007 (pdf)

Between a rock and hard place: Armed Violence in African Pastoral Communities, UNDP, October 2007 (pdf)

Armed Violence in Africa: Reflections on the Costs of Crime and Conflict, UNDP, October 2007 (pdf)

Country

Afghanistan

Guatemala Declaration on Armed Violence and Development, April 2007 (pdf)

Guatemala: Tackling Small Arms and Violence at All Levels, UNDP, 2007 (pdf)

Municipalities Free of Weapons Project in El Salvador (in both English and Spanish)

POLICY

Report of the Secretary General: In Larger Freedom: Towards Development, Security and Human Rights for All, 2005

Securing Development: UNDP’s Support for Addressing Small Arms Issues, UNDP, 2005 (pdf)

GUIDANCE AND LESSONS LEARNED

The Impact of Armed Violence on Poverty and Development, Centre for International Cooperation and Security, 2005 (pdf)

 

NEWS

The global burden of armed violence constitutes a major developmental challenge.
Armed violence can erode governance structures, creates a climate of fear, undermines peace initiatives, exacerbates human rights abuses, prevents investment, disrupts markets, and closes schools and clinics.
For more information on UNDP’s work on armed violence prevention and small arms control, see our NEW WORLD MAP

UNDP, Norway pledge to reduce armed violence
Oslo, 21 October 2009 — UNDP Administrator Helen Clark met with Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre today to discuss ways in which Norway and UNDP could work together to reduce armed violence, which kills more than 2,000 people every day worldwide, most of whom are civilians.  Read more...

AudioVoices From Countries in Crisis

Armed violence and women in El Salvador Marcela Smutt, Coordinator of the Governance Unit in UNDP El Salvador discusses the impact of armed violence on women (Spanish –  streaming audio or mp3)

Armed violence prevention in Honduras
Juan Carlos Benitez, Programme Specialist in UNDP Honduras discusses initiatives in the country (Spanish –  streaming audio or mp3)

JSSR

Watch a video about small arms control featuring Sara Sekkenes, Senior Advisor for the Conflict Team, to learn more about how small arms, landmines, and the legacy of war creates an environment that inhibits human development.

Proposal

Conflict ProposalLearn more about UNDP programming in our Donor Proposal on Conflict Prevention and Recovery (pdf).