Preface

When we see the thousands of young children bearing arms in today's conflicts, we have the right – indeed the duty – to react and attempt to change a situation where arms often seem to be more readily available than school books. These are often children brutalized by a life spent entirely on the street, and the highly lethal mix of easily available drugs and weapons has horrifying results, for trafficking in both frequently goes hand in hand. What hope do we have of these "combatants" respecting international humanitarian law and treating the wounded and civilians with humanity? It is obviously no use condemning these children, who are themselves victims – of poverty, of the people who put the guns in their hands, and of those who manufacture or sell arms, without caring where they end up.

The massive influx of arms into already unstable regions, where they are sometimes sold for a pittance, justifies grave doubts about respect for humanitarian standards. Such proliferation sets in motion a vicious circle in which people arm themselves out of fear for their safety, thus further destabilizing the situation which is soon governed by the law of the jungle. At that point, any and all standards are ignored. The result: tension, unrest, violence, even armed conflict. All of which is extremely detrimental to any effort to foster respect for international humanitarian law. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which monitors compliance with that law, cannot stand idly by. Its President voiced the organization's concern to the 26th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, in 1995, and reminded the governments of their responsibilities.

That Conference called on the ICRC to take a closer look at the effect, in terms of violations of humanitarian law and the deterioration of the situation of civilians, of arms proliferation in conflict areas, and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement as a whole decided to consider what role it could play and what stand it should take on the issue.

This report reflects the result of a unique meeting which brought together researchers, governmental, military and non-governmental experts on the problems of arms availability from 14 countries in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe. The main aim of the meeting, organized jointly by the ICRC and the Norwegian Red Cross, was to acquire a better understanding of the intricacies of the issue. It was also an opportunity to take stock of the relevant studies and projects under way. One hopeful sign that immediately became evident is that there is a growing awareness of the problem. A number of governments are beginning to take action and are thinking both about developing existing international norms on the manufacture and sale of arms and about how to combat illicit arms trafficking. The dynamic coalitions of non-governmental groups concerned with the grace effects of arms proliferation is another positive development. In Norway, for example, interested NGOs work together in the Norwegian Initiative on Small Arms Transfers (NISAT), financially supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The competence and variety of the participants helped the meeting live up fully to expectations. It is our hope that the Oslo dialogue will enable us to clarify responsibilities regarding a problem made all the more complex by the fact that a way has to be found to limit the availability of items generally recognized as important for State security. Our discussions have given us a clearer picture of what action may be taken in this area and how best to coordinate it. Finally, they will certainly be useful for the ICRC's own study and in helping the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement determine what role it can play.

Hopefully, we will see tangible results from this mobilization, but it is an undertaking that will require enormous perseverance. We should therefore never lose sight of what is represented by the present large-scale and uncontrolled transfers of a host of weapons; we must remember that it means insecurity, violence, suffering and death.

Yves Sandoz, Director of International Law and Policy, ICRC

Jan Egeland, Special Adviser, Norvegian Red Cross

 

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