International Initiatives to Stop the Spread and
Unlawful Use of Small Arms

a seminar sponsored by the British American Security Information Council
New York, 25 September 1998

 

Statement of Knut Vollebæk
Minister Of Foreign Affairs Of Norway

Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen.

I am pleased to co-host this seminar on small arms organized by BASIC. Small arms represent one of today's most serious challenges. The high human cost of the excessive accumulation and uncontrolled proliferation of small arms is the major reason for our shared concern. The uncontrolled use of these weapons causes untold human suffering in many parts of the world. It increases the level of violence in armed conflicts, it complicates the resolution of conflicts and facilitates criminal activities. It often leads to widespread atrocities and the violation of human rights. The legitimate authority of the state can be undermined and efforts to promote development hindered.

This situation is intolerable. We must step up our efforts to alleviate human suffering caused by the abuse of small arms and to achieve greater control over these weapons.

The Norwegian Government has committed substantial resources for small arms action. Just to mention a few areas: We have supported arms collection programs in a number of countries within the framework of demobilization and reintegration programs. We are contributing to the efforts to establish a moratorium on the manufacture, export and import of light weapons in West Africa. We are involved in training programs for police and military personnel in war-torn societies. Norway supports security sector reforms to make people able to trust the rule of law rather than the rule of violence. We support human rights groups and contribute to training and monitoring in this area.

There is a role for all of us in the efforts to control the excessive accumulation and abuse of small arms, whether we represent governments, multilateral organizations or non-governmental organizations.

The primary responsibility for addressing the various issues linked to improved control over small arms lies with governments. They must put in place authorizing systems for small arms manufacturers and dealers. They should establish export licensing regimes and control international transit and transfers. Governments are also responsible for national arms control legislation. The instruments of exercising these controls also rest with governments - e.g. police, customs officers, border control and intelligence units. In a wider context, governments are responsible for ensuring the safety of their citizens and protecting their human rights.

Multilateral organizations have a key role in supporting governmental efforts. In particular, various parts of the United Nations family are important. Specialized multilateral agencies outside of the UN, such as police and customs organizations, also have central roles to play.

Multilateral organizations are well placed to contribute to awareness-raising and information-sharing. In addition, the UN can develop centers of excellence pertaining to certain aspects of the problem area, such as arms collection programs, security sector reform and security arrangements for post-conflict development. Technical and financial resources are needed for action both at the international and national level, and the UN can play a role in mobilizing these resources.

Efforts of governments and multilateral organizations are not enough if we want to be effective. Efforts to control small arms proliferation and abuse must transcend the government sphere and be supported by civil society. Here, non-governmental organizations are crucial. NGOs are particularly well placed to raise the level of awareness among the public at large. They are also important in identifying the key issues and analyzing the problem at hand. In this connection, further field work and research should be encouraged. NGOs can also play a role in the implementation of programs. Such programs include delivering humanitarian relief to war-torn societies, promoting small arms collection at the local level and combating cultures of violence.

My government has supported several NGO small arms initiatives, both in Norway and internationally. We have been impressed by the quality of the work already undertaken, and would particularly welcome a stronger role for NGOs from the South.

As I have indicated, actions will be much more effective when supported both by government, multinational organizations and NGOs. Forging strong partnerships between these three levels, while respecting our different responsibilities and working methods, is a prerequisite for success.

The area of small arms and light weapons is a complex one and solutions will have to be sought in different fora and in a variety of ways. We must keep in mind that problems differ from continent to continent, from region to region and among subregions. This is why expert seminars such as this one are extremely useful to broaden international understanding of the practical action needed.

Improved understanding of the issues connected with small arms proliferation is necessary if we want to achieve strong and coordinated international action. One important building block in this process is the Oslo Meeting on Small Arms, held on 13-14 July this year.

The Oslo meeting was unique in the sense that, for the first time, governments reached a common understanding on an International Agenda on Small Arms and Light Weapons. Government representatives from all continents, producers and recipients of small arms, war-torn and peaceful societies, agreed to intensify and harmonize efforts in an effective and coherent manner. Common understanding was reached on the main concerns and challenges. Follow up action was identified, covering a broad agenda ranging from combating the illicit traffic of small arms and introducing tighter control of legal transfers to reducing the numbers of small arms in war-torn societies.

We do not believe that the Oslo Platform on small arms contains all the answers. Practical arrangements will have to be worked out on how to implement the actions needed. International understanding will have to be improved further, and the views of other countries with a strong interest in controlling small arms will have to be taken into consideration. New insights stemming from analysis and experience must be incorporated into our strategy as we go along.

The International Agenda on Small Arms and Light Weapons from Oslo embodies a couple of fundamental insights that are worth highlighting.

First, we must maintain a broad agenda in our future work. Small arms action must address both security, humanitarian and developmental concerns. Some refer to this as the "Security First" approach. Without security, people cannot invest in their own future, and there will be no development. But the opposite is also true: Without development, many of the root causes of human insecurity cannot be properly addressed, and there will be no development. A more appropriate - although more cumbersome - label instead of "Security First" is therefore "the proportional and integrated approach to security and development". I support this approach wholeheartedly. In areas of conflict, both security and development aspects must be integrated in national programs as well as in international cooperation efforts.

Second, we must focus on practical action that can be implemented immediately and which will have an impact in the short term. I started out by saying that small arms are complex and pose great challenges. There is a risk here. We cannot afford to wait until all the members of the international community agree on actions to be taken. A global conference, which is currently being discussed in the UN, could eventually produce a plan of action. New global regulatory mechanisms are also being discussed. Norway supports these efforts, but we are concerned that they will take time to put in place. Meanwhile, the lives and well-being of millions of people - who experience insecurity and violations in connection with small arms every day - depend on our ability to act effectively now. New lofty declarations will not help. Concrete, practical measures such as those contained in the Oslo Platform will.

This is why I, in my statement to the General Assembly earlier this week, announced the launching of a UNDP Trust Fund for the control, collection and reduction of small arms. Our hope is that the creation of a separate UN Trust Fund will help place the issue of small arms higher on the international agenda. It will hopefully also contribute to more systematic approaches to small arms action in the UN.

We hope that other countries will contribute to this fund, or to other activities that will produce immediate action. Resources are needed. The ideas for practical action are in place.

We must keep an ambitious agenda. We must strive for a constructive, incremental and cumulative process which will involve an increasing number of actors, representing both civil society and governments.

The BASIC Seminar today will give an overview of some of the main challenges of this agenda. As I started out by saying, seminars such as this one can help improve our understanding of the complexity of the issue and contribute to a broader understanding of actions to be taken.

Unfortunately, other engagements prevent me from participating in the rest of your seminar. I have therefore asked my representatives to give me a report on your presentations and discussions.

I wish you every success with these important deliberations!