Norge har engasjert seg i arbeidet mot ulovlig handel og ukontrollert spredning av håndvåpen. Bruk av håndvåpen koster hvert år 500.000 mennesker livet. Kjøp og salg av slike våpen representerer bare 5-10 prosent av den globale våpenhandelen, men står bak 90 prosent av alle våpenrelaterte dødsfall.

Dette er et innlegg statssekretær Raymond Johansen holdt i et møte i anledning FN-konferansen om håndvåpen i New York 9.-20. juli. Møtet ble arrangert av Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC).

The destructive effects of small arms proliferation has by now been very clearly documented. We also know how complex the issue is and that we need an integrated and comprehensive approach to deal with small arms .

We need to address the issues at all levels from the global to the local. We must address all aspects of the small arms problem and focus on the link between licit and illicit flows. A broad approach also means that governments and civil society organisations can and should work together as partners.

A comprehensive and integrated approach must also span from arms control to human security and development. The demand for and misuse of small arms are clearly related to problems of poverty, underdevelopment, insecurity and injustice. We must address the root causes of conflict and violence and place small arms action firmly in the context of comprehensive peacebuilding, human security and human development.

We therefore believe very firmly in the importance of security sector reform for development. The challenge is to create confidence and a lasting sense of security in order for sosio-economic development and development assistance, investments and nation-building to take place. Action to deal with the problems must include national and regional capacity-building in the civil and military security sector, good governance measures and post-conflict programmes. We need to reach out to those who face the barrel of the gun through concrete and practical action that aims at reducing and removing insecurity and fear.

This is why Norway has put so much emphasis on practical disarmament and small arms measures as part of the security sector approach and the wider perspective of human security and development. This is why we proposed the establishment of a UNDP Trust Fund for Small Arms and pledged a substantial contribution.

We have worked actively in Albania with the UNDP, Germany and the US, in particular with the Gramsh project. We believe we can do useful projects through the UNDP and other UN bodies, throuh bilateral andregional cooperation projects or action in partnership with civil society organisations like the Bonn International Center for Conversion. Yesterday we announced a major destruction project with the South African Police. We are working with a number of countries in Africa on security sector reform and we are involved in arms management projects with African NGOs, including the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria. We have a major "Training for Peace " project for the SADC region with capacity building projects in 12 countries, and we are looking at extending this program to West Africa.

Security sector reform must address the military as well as the civilian sector in a number of areas such as capacity building and training for the military, police, courts and prisons and promote norms and standards for those who are responsible for law and order. It is in this broader context we must see weapons collection and destruction programmes and "Weapons and development" projects. Incentive schemes to mop up small arms must be designed with care. R emuneration should not normally be personal but in the form of development gains in areas like public order, education, infrastructure, medicare and other tangible areas. We can not measure success in the number of weapons collected or destroyed, but rather in whether or not such measures enhance community and individual security.

There are clearly ways of collecting weapons that risk aggravating the situation rather then the opposite. And we need to distinguish between different situations. A post-conflict situation is different from a crime context, and there are differences between cities and rural areas. It is the spesific political context and challenge we need to focus on rather than the technical challenge and the number of weapons. This is why it is so important to take security sector refom into the equation and see practical disarmament in the perspective of development.

Chairman,

A "security first approach" is an integrated and comprehensive approach to security and development. It is not just a good principle or catchword of the day, but it must entail that we as governments are ready to give financial and technical support to development projects that provide for increased security. It means that it is legitimate to use a portion of our development assistanse on security sector and good governance measures, including surrender and destruction of excess or illegal weapons, demobilisation of combatants and their reintegration and rehabilitation into society, and measures to restore law and order.

I thank you