The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, Norwegian Church Aid, Human Rights Watch, Oxfam International, and the Arias Foundation have come together to build a Humanitarian Coalition on Small Arms. Our organisations approach the issue of small arms proliferation from various perspectives: development, health, human rights, and humanitarian concern.

During our engagement with the process related to the upcoming UN conference on Small Arms (July 9-20, New York, UN), our organisations have recognised an urgent need to highlight the enormous humanitarian impacts of small arms proliferation, trade and misuse, which have largely been obscured during the Conference process. This concern has motivated us to develop a Humanitarian Coalition, which will seek to develop assertive and effective campaigns to relieve the human suffering inflicted by these weapons. The Coalition will be made up of a number of NGOs, many of whom participate in the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA), however the Coalition also includes organisations beyond that network.

Towards this end, the Coalition is circulating a statement for support. You are encouraged to support the statement, which is an effort to clarify to governments attending this conference the bottom line for human rights, health, development and humanitarian organisations when it comes to the outcome of this conference: making people safer. It will be presented to governments and media.

For more information on this initiative and how humanitarian, human rights, health and development organisations can become involved, please contact Cate Buchanan at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue: cateb@hdcentre.org

Humanitarian Statement of Concern Addressed to the UN Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects to be held 9-20 July 2001

1. Humanitarian, human rights, health and development workers witness the devastating effects of small arms proliferation on civilians all over the world. Providing relief to refugees and civilians displaced by war, facilitating development projects and the provision of medical services, mediating for humanitarian access and ensuring respect for human rights often place our organisations at the frontlines. These experiences have led us to believe that the uncontrolled proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons have contributed to a global humanitarian crisis ? a crisis which results in approximately 500,000 deaths a year.

2. The proliferation of small arms and light weapons adds another unpredictable and lethal dimension to the activities of organisations dedicated to human rights, humanitarian, health and development work. The ability of workers to undertake their duties is increasingly constrained due to the threat and use of small arms, as many are kidnapped, assaulted and deprived of their liberty under the threat of a gun.

3. The UN Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects provides governments with an historic opportunity to set high common standards and policies to address this scourge.

4. The right of states to buy and sell weapons for purposes of self-defence brings with it mportant responsibilities, including to respect and ensure respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. All too often in the past, the shipment of weapons to abusive military, paramilitary, security and police forces, whether arranged by arms brokers or directly by governments, has violated this obligation. The consequences have been devastating for millions of civilians around the world.

5. Factors leading to the demand for small arms are multiple and complex and are related to problems of poverty, underdevelopment, human rights abuse, insecurity and injustice. Our organisations have long committed themselves to alleviating these realities. However, this work is undermined by the easy availability and violent misuse of small arms and light weapons.

6. Small arms and light weapons are almost all produced legally, often then moving through a series of legal or illegal hands. The UN Conference must examine all aspects of this flow, and governments must agree to create control mechanisms that meet their responsibilities--to their own citizens, to civilians around the world and to the international community.

7. We therefore call on all governments to take assertive and coordinated action to:

i) stop the supply of small arms and light weapons to those who use them to violate recognised standards of international human rights and humanitarian law; and

ii) address the human suffering caused by the millions of weapons in circulation.

The results of this Conference will be judged by the degree to which they contribute to the safety, dignity and well being of those who live under the shadow of armed violence.

Organisations supporting this statement

• Arias Foundation, (Costa Rica)
• Centre for Democratic Empowerment, (Liberia)
• Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, (International)
• International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (International)
• Norwegian Church Aid, Norway
• Human Rights Watch (International) (provisional)
• Oxfam International
• World Vision (International)

Who is encouraged to sign?

This statement is open for sign on by organisations engaged in humanitarian, human rights, health and development work on the ground.

Note: The final printed version will include 2 quotes of direct testimonial from a civilian and a humanitarian worker affected by small arms violence.

To REGISTER YOUR SUPPORT or for more information on the Humanitarian

Coalition on Small Arms contact Cate Buchanan at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue:

Email:cateb@hdcentre.org

Ph: +41 22 908 1130

Fax: + 41 22 908 1140

Deadline for signing is Friday 6 July 2001.