Crisis Prevention and Recovery

Building the Momentum to Tackle Human Insecurity and Poverty

Contribution by Peter Batchelor, BCPR Geneva

Many of the poorest countries in the world are besieged by high levels of armed violence whether in situations of crime or conflict. The widespread incidence of armed violence is inextricably linked with the easy availability of small arms. Failure to curb the global spread of firearms makes them the weapons of choice in inter-personal and gang violence, organised crime, civil wars and inter-state conflict. The phenomenon of rampant gun violence destroys lives and livelihoods, breeds fear and insecurity and hampers prospects for human development.

Countries plagued by high levels of armed violence suffer from hard-to-break cycles of human insecurity and increased poverty. These countries are least likely to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. Where gun violence creates insecurity and hinders development, UNDP’s key concern is to help find effective solutions to reducing armed violence while providing people with alternative livelihoods and opportunities to live in safety and security.

Since 1998, UNDP has addressed the issue of small arms availability and armed violence at national, regional and global levels. UNDP provides technical assistance, policy advice and expertise to help countries strengthen their capacities’ to implement small arms control programmes in the context of national development strategies. Within this context, UNDP’s work in on small arms related issues consists of three mutually reinforcing approaches:

• Small arms control, encompassing a range of weapons control, management and destruction interventions, including ‘weapons for the development’ strategies for voluntary disarmament.
• Armed violence reduction and prevention, focusing on establishing and strengthening local capacities to address violence, promoting non-violent livelihoods, and addressing root socio-economic causes of violence, as well as public awareness efforts.
• Disarmament, Demobilisation, and Reintegration, supporting the transition from conflict to peace by facilitating the return of combatants to civilian life and demilitarisation through the removal and destruction of weapons used in conflict.

UN 2nd Biennial Meeting of States on Small Arms and Light Weapons (BMS2)
The BMS2, on 11-15 July, 2005 in NY, will be an opportunity for member states, civil society and international organizations to take stock of what has or has not been achieved on the Programme of Action to prevent and combat the illicit trade of weapons (PoA) which was adopted at a major UN conference on small arms in 2001.

During the BMS2, UNDP, will present to donors, partners, and the international community its experiences on small arms programming to date and the contributions it has made to the implementation of the PoA. Through a review of its small arms control, armed violence reduction and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes, UNDP will highlight how its work has evolved over the last few years and which new directions it will take in the future. UNDP's experiences will be showcased in the launch of a new publication entitled: “Securing Development: Small Arms and Armed Violence as a Development Issue."

Drawing on lessons learned, UNDP will stress the importance of ensuring that armed violence reduction measures are incorporated into national poverty reduction strategies and bilateral development frameworks. To address the demand for guns, UNDP will advocate for tough international and national controls to regulate weapons supplies.
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Programmes, such as UNDP Ghana’s armed violence and small arms reduction programme and UNDP Bosnia-Herzegovina’s small arms project, which are highlighted in this issue, are examples of how UNDP helps countries promote longer-term strategies that combine weapons control with efforts to address the demand and root causes of armed violence.

For more information, please contact:
Blerta Aliko, Programme Associate
+41 22 917 8256, blerta.aliko@undp.org