Small arms and light weapons
What are small arms and light weapons?
Whilst international agreement on a definition for small arms and light weapons has proved elusive, there is a general, working definition that can be drawn upon. Small arms are weapons designed for individual use, such as pistols, sub-machine guns, assault rifles and light machine guns. Light weapons are designed to be deployed and used by a crew of two or more, such as grenade launchers, portable anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns and missile launchers, recoilless rifles and mortars of less than 100mm calibre.
There are an estimated 639 million small arms and light weapons (SALW) in circulation: more than one for every 10 people on the planet. Small Arms are usually regarded as weapons designed for individual use, such as pistols, sub-machine guns, assault rifles and light machine guns. Light weapons are designed to be deployed and used by a crew of two or more, such as grenade launchers, portable anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns and missile launchers, recoilless rifles and mortars of less than 100mm calibre.
The easy access to these weapons exacerbates conflicts, facilitates violent crime and terrorism, thwarts post conflict reconstruction and undermines long-term sustainable development. The lack of effective controls to regulate the transfer, possession and use of small arms and light weapons makes their global spread difficult to manage. Illicit trading in such weaponry is also linked to trafficking in, for example, drugs and diamonds. This is a world-wide problem requiring an orchestrated response at many levels: locally, nationally, regionally and globally.
What is the UK doing to tackle the problem of SALW proliferation?
The UK Government is an acknowledged lead player and places a high priority on combating small arms and light weapons proliferation. It has a pro-active, inter-departmental approach with a Small Arms Policy Committee that meets regularly to review government progress and provide policy direction. The main tool for supporting small arms activities is the Small Arms Programme of the Global Conflict Prevention Fund jointly managed by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Ministry of Defence and Department for International Development.
The UK strategy on SALW totally supports the work of the UN Programme of Action (UNPoA) adopted at the first ever UN Conference on 'The Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects' which took place in New York in July 2001.Working with regional organisations, other governments and civil society, to address the problem of SALW misuse, the UK's objectives are to: strengthen controls on the supply of SALW though increased controls on transfers of SALW; address the demand for weapons; and reduce the availability of weapons.
Since the UN 2001 Conference the UK has:
- Established a National Point of Contact in the Counter-Proliferation Department of the FCO.
- Signed in 2002 the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms which entered into force in June 2005.
- Initiated and sponsored new guidelines on small arms exports in the Wassanaar Arrangement
- Worked closely with civil society in the SALW field eg International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA), The Small Arms Survey, The Geneva Forum, Biting the Bullet, SaferWorld, International Alert, Safer Africa, UN Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Latin America and the Caribbean, Viva Rio, The Nairobi Secretariat: Implementation of the Nairobi Declaration, and Security Research and Information Centre (SRIC) – Controlling SALW in the Great Lakes Regions and the Horn of Africa.
- Championed two international initiatives on small arms:
- The Transfer Central Initiative (TCI) which seeks to raise awareness and build consensus, sub-regionally, regionally and internationally, on the need to develop harmonised guidelines on SALW transfers
- The Armed Violence and Poverty Initiative (AVPI), which aims to document the impact of arms on poverty and to encourage donors and other partners to design development programmes which take account of, and seek to address the root causes of armed violence.
UN Programme of Action Review Conference
The most prominent global agreement which seeks to regulate the flow of SALW to the illicit market is the UN Programme of Action (UNPoA). This instrument is global in nature and politically binding on all nations. The First Review Conference of the UNPoA took place in July 2006, 5 years after its conception. The global implementation of the PoA was analysed possible improvements discussed. However, consensus could not be reached on several key issues e.g. Development, Non State Actors, Civilian Possession. Despite agreement being reached on the importance of transfer controls, there was no substantive outcome.
Biennial Meeting of States Party, July 2008
In July 2008, nations met again to discuss the implementation of the PoA at the Third Biennial Meeting of States Party.This meeting was centred around the concept of Co-operation and Assistance and its relation to the implementation of all aspects of the UNPoA. In addition, several proposals were put forward to enhance the application of the UNPoA including the concept of intersessional meetings. The final document was voted upon, and was adopted by a clear majority with only two states abstaining. Work will now continue towards First Committee where a resolution will identify the way forward for this important instrument.
