Small arms in the wrong hands. Development, conflict and Britain's arms trade

Development and poverty relief cannot be expected to make steady advances unless people are spared the devastating consequences of armed conflicts, spurred on by prolific and largely unregulated transfers of small arms. New Oxfam research asks, How deep does Britain's involvement in this trade go? Over 100 countries received small arms from the UK between 1995 and 1997 despite official resolutions to limit such trade. The research report points out key obstacles to effective regulatory controls and Oxfam offers constructive suggestions on how to overcome them.

Since 1995, the UK has supplied small arms to at least 42 countries where Oxfam works around the world. But a defective export control system has allowed these transfers to take place in secrecy. There is virtually no parliamentary or public scrutiny of their impact on the lives of ordinary citizens in recipient countries. Data presented in the study report indicate that:

• of 27 countries in Africa to which the UK has supplied light weapons, over two-thirds are suffering political violence, low-intensity or high-intensity conflicts
• half of the UK's world small arms sales went to areas in similar states of conflict.

The report argues from these figures that the UK authorities should take action to stop the supply of small arms to places where such products could contribute to armed conflict, trigger human rights violations or undermine future prospects for sustainable development. To enable informed public and parliamentary debate - and to step in line with a recently agreed EU Code of Conduct - on the subject, the UK should:

• Publish annual reports on overseas arm sales , including data on the sale of small arms and ancillary equipment and a breakdown of the different types of weapons involved
• Take the lead towards developing an international pact to proscribe official subsidies for the export of arms to any developing country that is in violent conflict
• require a Development Impact Evaluation before sanctioning future arms sales to countries where the UK or EU has committed development funds.

The latter procedure could be overseen by the Department for International Development and become a formal part of the advance approvals or denials procedure adopted in the export of small arms. It should apply to the sale of weapons, training provision, offshore brokering and licensed production.

At EU level, strict adherence to the Code of Conduct on the small arms trade should be a condition of EU membership as the EU expands to incorporate countries that have substantial stockpiles of small arms and weak controls over these stockpiles.

Source(s):
Small Arms, Wrong Hands: A case for government control of the small arms trade. Oxfam GB. By O. Sprague (1998). Full document.

Funded by: Oxfam GB (1998)

id21 Research Highlight: 1998-November-19

Further Information:
Oliver Sprague
Policy Department
Oxfam
274 Banbury Road
Oxford OX2 7DZ
UK

Tel: +44 (0)1865 312331
Fax: +44 (0)1865 312417
Contact the contributor: osprague@oxfam.org.uk

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