1ADVISORY BOARD ON DISARMAMENT MATTERSFORTY-FOURTH SESSIONNew York, 23-25 February 2005

Discussion Paper
Agenda item 6
Regional security and global norms: small arms and light weapons
Kuniko INOGUCHI, Ph.D.
Professor of Political Science, Sophia University
Special Assistant to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Japan

1. Introduction
This paper considers how global norms for combating the illicit flow of small arms
and light weapons (SALW) can be further mainstreamed, and how such emerging
global norms can enhance regional security and the reconciliation process inpost-conflict situations . During the past decade, groundbreaking efforts throughthe United Nations fora and at regional levels in partnership with NGOs havesuccessfully contributed to the formation of new global norms concerning SALW.
Today, it is widely understood that the proliferation of SALW leads to therecurrence of violence, hinders post-conflict reconstruction, and becomes one of
the major sources of poverty and social insecurity. Mainstreaming new norms in
the international community is always a difficult challenge, but SALW is one
important area whereby the UN process has functioned effectively in a relatively
short period of time to help mainstream new global norms together with regionaland civil society organizations. However, how the formation of global norms

2
could effectively result in reducing regional insecurity depends on the degree of
implementation of political and legal agreements.

Implementation of the UN

Program of Action (PoA) and other related agreements on SALW would requiremassive financial and technical cooperation as well as strengthened commitment
from national legislators.

Successful mainstreaming of SALW norms at theglobal level should help all those involved in the implementation of norms.

2. Inclusive multilateralism and formation of new global norms
The problem of SALW is widespread across national borders and economic zones.
No country is free from its impact, and no country should be left alone in copingwith the impact.

Thus, we need an inclusive approach, whereby every

nation-state is included in the process and the sense of ownership is shared,
bearing in mind different situations, capacities, and priorities. Truly sustainable
solutions to these challenges cannot be imposed from without, but must beembraced from within as legitimate reflections of concrete national interests. Thus,
the SALW process developed as a UN process including all member states, and theconsensus

approachbecamethedominant

methodology.

Inclusive

multilateralism as such may require patience and tolerance from all states, butstates are requested to develop flexibility and exercise self-restraint to work
toward a common future and for the benefit of nurturing new dimensions of global
norms.
At the United Nations First Biennial Meeting of States on the Implementation of
the PoA in 2003, which I chaired, it was widely understood that many aspects of
the PoA have become firmly accepted as irreversible global norms. It is now time
to work constructively with Finnish Chair-designate for the Second Biennial
Meeting of States (BMS2), Ambassador Pasi Patokallio, so that the lead up process
and the meeting in New York in July 2005 will become another major threshold forthe deepening of global norms concerning SALW.

BMSs serve an important

purpose including implementation of the UN PoA, raising awareness, creating asense of ownership among governments and organizations, consolidating shared3institutional memory, and strengthening emerging global norms.

.

While the inclusion of all UN member states can be considered as horizontal
inclusiveness, vertical inclusiveness encompassing regional, national and civilsociety levels is also essential. This can partly be achieved by asking member
states to include in their national reports efforts of NGOs and local governments
within respective national jurisdictions, and by providing opportunities to regional,
international and civil society organizations to submit their reports and/or express
their views at BMS. It should always be reminded that all local and civil efforts
to curb illicit SALW need to be reported to national and/or regional focal points sothat they will be reported to the UN process to be shared with the rest of the globalcommunity.

Regarding SALWs, every effort at every level should eventuallyconstitute an integral part of the UN process.
3. Solution-Oriented Synergies (SOS)The world is suffering from the scourge of illicit SALW. What we need is acommon and coordinated response based on SOS, i.e. Solution-Oriented Synergies.
In order to foster effective multilateralism, we need to activate strategic linkages
and synergies among key international bodies and sectors.
First, the General Assembly process and Security Council actions need to become
more interactive and mutually reinforcing.

In this context, the Report of theSecretary-General to the Security Council on Small Arms (S/2005/69) issued on 7
February 2005 includes relevant recommendations including Recommendation 4:
The Council may wish to consider means by which its interaction with theGeneral Assembly on issues relating to small arms might be enhanced, so as topromote the further development of long-term strategies to halt the scourge ofthe illicit proliferation of small arms within the framework of international
efforts aimed at conflict prevention and peacebuilding, and in the context of theProgramme of Action adopted at the July 2001 United Nations conference on
small arms.
The Report also draws useful conclusions, such as para. 66 which recommends the4establishment of a small joint committee to look into how the two organs could
work together in this area.
(S/2005/69)

66. Regarding recommendation 4, on the interaction between theSecurity Council and the General Assembly, while no structured interaction
has been established between the two organs on the topic of small arms andlight weapons, the implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent,Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All
Its Aspects has emerged as a key issue on the agenda of both organs. In orderto develop a coherent and comprehensive United Nations policy on small arms
and light weapons, I recommend that the Security Council and the General
Assembly establish a small committee to look into how the two organs could
work together in this area. I am particularly pleased to note the progress
being made on the issue of illicit brokering in small arms and light weapons,
which has been an area of concern, particularly in connection with activities ofterrorist groups.
Future Security Council resolutions concerning restoration of peace ought toassign higher priorities to recommendations for the collection and destruction ofillicit small arms, the training of officers to control stockpiles, the need fornationallegislative

measurestocombatillicitflows,

andcross-cuttinginternational cooperation, etc.
Secondly, strategic synergies need to be developed with relevant financial
institutions including the World Bank and regional development banks.

It isimportant to integrate SALWs issues into post-conflict development programmeswith special attention to DDR (Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration offormer combatants) programmes. DDR programmes also need to be designedwith a stronger focus on illicit SALW problems.
Thirdly, SALW problems need to be further mainstreamed in global governanceprocesses and security talks.

The UN and respective governments shouldendeavor to make sure that SALW issues are included in the agenda and/or given
due attention at the G8 Summit, regional summits , and all high level talks
concerning international/regional peace and security.

It ought to be remembered

5that the Evian G8 Summit in June 2003 produced a Chair’s summary containing a
special short paragraph welcoming the First UN Biennial Meeting of States onsmall arms .

It is hoped that the Second UN Biennial Meeting will enjoy similarattention.
4. Enhancing reconciliation and regional security
In my discussion paper submitted to the 42nd Advisory Board, I made a point that
there was a shift in the characteristics of violent conflicts , from a traditional
inter-state conflict to a deep-rooted intra-state conflict, and therefore areconciliation process, along with a peace pact, is necessary to deter the recurrenceof similar conflicts.

The nature of a deep-rooted conflict is such that it “combines

two powerful elements: potent identity-based factors, based on differences in race,religion, culture, language and so on, with a perceived imbalance in thedistribution of economic, political and social resources.” i

Traditional approache s

all too often fail to address this deep-rooted nature of conflicts and thus theconclusion of peace pacts does not necessarily bring human security.

Peoplecontinue to suffer or even die from war-related effects long after the war itself hascome to an end, or national security is seemingly restored.
None of these conflicts have a clear solution for achieving peace, but all have one
thing in common: deep-rooted hatred in the minds of people.

Thus reconciliation

at all politico-social levels is the key to ending a violent conflict.

Reconciliationin the aftermath of a violent conflict is a complex process. It is an inclusive
process, combining the search for truth, justice, forgiveness, healing, reparation,and cooperation in the design of the road to a peaceful future. ii Reconciliation isboth a goal and a process to find a way to coexist with former adversaries bysharing a future.
“Reconciliation as a concept and a praxis to reframe the conflict so that theparties are no longer preoccupied with focusing on the issues in a direct,cognitive manner. Its primary goal and key contribution is to seek innovative
ways to create a time and a place, within various levels of the affected
population, to address, integrate, and embrace the painful past and the6necessary shared future as a means of dealing with the present.”iii
Reconciliation supports the (re)building of non-violent relationships between
individuals and communities. Reconciliation means enabling victims to carry on
with their lives and, at the society level, the establishment of a political dialogue
and an adequate sharing of power. iv Eradicating illicit SALW should constitute thefirst step toward non-violence and reconciliation and disarmament programmes
should be designed to bring incentives for reconstruction activities.

Post-conflictsmall arms disarmament programmes should be community-based and humansecurity-centered, and must include local security sector reform.
In order to achieve lasting regional security, all peace pacts should give priority toprogrammes aimed at combating SALW in the region. Surrendering SALW byformer combatants ought to be viewed as an important positive step in therestoration of social unity and coherence.

The international community must

extend financial and technical cooperation to help combat the illicit accumulationand transactions of SALW in societies and regions emerging from conflicts,
bearing in mind that the majority of victims in post-conflict situations are womenand children killed by illicit small arms .

Their deaths often outnumbers victims

in combat.

iDavid Bloomfield and Ben Reilly (eds.), Democracy and Deep-Rooted Conflict: Options for

Negotiators (Stockholm: International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, 2001)
ii

David Bloomfield, Teresa Barns, and Luc Huyse (eds.), Reconciliation After Violent Conflicts:

A Handbook (Stockholm: International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, 2003)
iii

John Paul Lederach, Building Peace: Sustainable Reconciliation in Divided Societies(Washington DC: United States Institute of Peace, 1997)
iv

Ibid., p.19.