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.

FN holdt 9. –20. juli sin første konferanse om håndvåpen. Statssekretær Raymond Johansen holdt det norske hovedinnlegget

Mr. President,

My congratulations to Ambassador Reyes as President of the Conference and our thanks also to Ambassador Dos Santos for his efforts to prepare the ground for a successful outcome of this conference during the Prepcoms.

Mr. President,

The destructive consequences of uncontrolled proliferation of small arms and light weapons have by now been documented beyond any doubt. The aim of this conference must therefore be to lay a foundation for international standards which can curb this evil.

Governments bear the primary responsibility for providing answers, taking action and mobilise political will to do so. But the small arms constitute a complex and multifaceted issue. We need a concerted international action to deal with small arms and light weapons. This approach must be comprehensive and co-ordinated in a number of ways:

• Comprehensive in the sense that we need to address the issues at all levels from the global to the local. We believe that action on the regional, sub-regional and national levels and a bottom-up working approach are keys to the success we want to achieve.
• We also believe very firmly that we need to address all aspects of the small arms problem. This implies focussing on the link between licit and illicit flows of small arms because the main source of illicit weapons are those that originate from legal sources.
• We disagree with those who limit the problem of illicit small arms and light weapons to a question of state security. A comprehensive and integrated approach must span from arms control to human security and development. The demand for, and misuse of, small arms are related to problems of poverty, underdevelopment, insecurity and injustice. It is also related to greed and the abuse of natural resources. We must address the root causes of conflict and violence. We agree with the "Humanitarian Statement of Concern" addressed to this Conference that the small arms problem contribute to a global humanitarian crisis.
• We must also place small arms action firmly in the context of comprehensive peacebuilding. We must focus on the importance of security sector reform. The challenge is to create a strong and lasting sense of security in order for socio-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.
• Last but not least, a comprehensive approach means that governments and civil society can and should work together. The civil society organisations are our partners. We should continue to be challenged by and work together with the civil society to reach out to those who face the guns and need the assistance of the international community.

Mr. President,

Norway has taken a number of steps to deal with the problems caused by the destabilising accumulations and spread of small arms and light weapons

• We proposed the establishment of a UNDP Trust Fund for small arms in 1998.
• In cooperation with the Norwegian Small Arms Initiative (NISAT) we have supported the ECOWAS-moratorium and will continue to do so. We call for its prolongation and renewed efforts to strengthen it.
• We have worked bilaterally with countries in Africa. A major destruction project for the South African Defence Forces has already been completed and on Monday Norway and South Africa signed a new major co-operation project for the destruction of 85.000 weapons and 8.5 million rounds of ammunition of the South African Police.
• We have worked with small arms and security sector reform in several countries and regions in Africa, including Mali, Malawi and Mozambique.
• The Balkans is another priority for our action. We are involved in practical disarmament and "weapons for development" projects in Albania, and in destruction projects in Kosovo.
• We have taken an active part in regional action on small arms such as the OSCE document on Small Arms and Light Weapons, and cooperation in the framework of NATO and the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, the Stability Pact for south-eastern Europe and the Waassenar arrangement.)

Mr. President,

Our general aim for the Conference is to achieve a substantial and forward-looking Programme of Action as a global recognition of the seriousness of the small arms problem and political manifestation of our will to act. This Programme must contain measures that will contribute to removing insecurity and save lives. It cannot merely be a loosely formulated platform describing the problems. The Programme of Action should constitute a first step in a process which must have a clearly defined follow-up mechanism.

In order to achieve this we need to be concrete in defining action on national, regional and international level. The document before us is a good basis, which can and should be strengthened in certain key areas.

• We believe strict export controls are crucial elements in combating illicit trade in small arms in all its aspects. The Conference should recommend some key principles for assessing export licences.
• We need to address brokering activities and marking and tracing of small arms properly. We believe that we should try to agree to a process which may lead to international agreements on brokering and tracing
• Increased transparency and information exchange on legal arms flows will contribute to better government control of the flow of arms. It is also necessary to look at how stockpile management, reduction of surpluses and destruction can contribute to reducing the diversion of arms to the illicit trade
• We would like the Programme of Action to be more explicit on the crucial link between security sector reform and sustainable development. Support for practical disarmament measures and capacity-building efforts in the security sector should be well reflected. Appropriate disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration programmes, particularly in post conflict situations, must be included. We should also stress the importance of such measures and programmes in peace agreements and the Security Council’s mandates and budgets for peacekeeping operations. Violations of Security Council arms embargoes must be treated as criminal offences.
• Assistance to affected countries and regions, adequate follow-up to the Conference and broad civil society participation in these efforts are fundamental to what we want to achieve. Norway will consider to increase its financial support for small arms action, security sector reform and good governance measures in the years ahead. We will continue to support UNDP through the Small Arms Trust Fund in the years ahead.

• We agree to a follow-up conference in 2006 and to meet every two years to take the Programme of Action forward.

Mr President,

More than eighty per cent of contemporary conflicts are fought with small arms and light weapons. This conference is not about taking guns away from the civilian population for hunting or other legal purposes. It is about keeping weapons out of the hands of warlords, criminals and child soldiers in order to enhance the security of the civilian population. We are all affected by the problems caused by the uncontrolled spread and use of small arms and light weapons in one way or another. We want results. This conference should make a difference to people in all parts of the world.