Authorisation or Delivery 

This column states whether the source reported an authorisation or a delivery of SALW. The distinction between the two is: 

authorisations: refer to export licenses that have been granted by the relevant government department. Information on authorisations just refers to permission to export. It does not guarantee that the arms were actually delivered. 

deliveries: refer to actual shipments of SALW that have arrived at the stated destination. Similarly, the existence of a delivery does not guarantee that an authorisation has been granted. 

In practice the value of goods delivered are often less than those licensed for export. This can be because deals may be cancelled or reduced, or an exporter may request a license for a potential transaction which is not fulfilled. 

Moreover, care should be exercised when comparing authorisations and deliveries (from different data sources). In some cases there may be a considerable delay between the authorisation and delivery (for example some UK licenses are valid for two years). 

Furthermore, users should be aware that some transactions may be 'double counted' in the database. This may occur if two or more different sources provide information on the authorisation and delivery respectively.   

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April 2004 - NISAT