Tackling Armed Violence – Achieving Development Goals

With less than five years to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), it is crucial that states, international organisations and civil society address one of the paramount obstacles for their achievement: Armed Violence.

The violent death of thousands of people every day is an ongoing humanitarian crisis that threatens development and security in societies all over the world. Our call is that we (as states, international organisations and together with civil society) must take concrete action to reduce armed violence now.

To this end, Norway and UNDP are asking states to endorse the Oslo Commitments on Armed Violence. We aim to ensure that commitments to tackle armed violence are included in the high-level MDG Review Summit that will take place in September, and to inform subsequent MDG achievement strategies. By tackling armed violence our common efforts to achieve the MDGs will stand stronger.

Despite a peace agreement signed four years ago, Southern Sudan continues to be beset by violence and insecurity, and faces enormous challenges reintegrating thousands of ex-combatants and militia groups back into their communities.

The war in Kosovo ended a decade ago, but the abundance of guns in the wrong hands has led to widespread violence, making a return to normal life difficult.

El Salvador, with a population of over just seven million, has one of the highest murder rates in the world, with 3,497 murders recorded in 2008 and 216,000 illegal weapons in circulation.   

The story is similar in other countries which have experienced conflict and where governments are unable to stop the violence due to the easy access of weapons. This ongoing humanitarian crisis, where thousands of people die a violent death each day, threatens development and security in societies across the globe. 

With only five years to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, it is crucial that states, international organisations, and civil society address armed violence as an obstacle to development progress.

An increasing body of research shows the significant impact of armed violence on human development. As many as three quarters of a million people are killed each year as a result of armed violence.  Despite the fact that the number of global armed conflicts dropped significantly between 1995 and 2005, the number of victims of armed violence has failed to slow. 
 
Armed violence occurs in places where poverty and wealth clash, where competition for scarce resources is the most fierce, and where areas with few or no laws are associated with weak governance. Whether in battlefields or informal settlements, those living on the frontline of such violence experience paralyzing fear and insecurity.  Development goes into reverse as infrastructure crumbles, social services close, legal markets collapse, and basic means of sustenance become a daily trial.    

Tackling the effects of crime and violence, and treating the victims and survivors, diverts the already limited resources needed to stimulate social and economic growth and meet the Millennium Development Goals. The results for the public are often devastating.  They condemn millions to a vicious cycle of poverty, vulnerability, and insecurity. Of the 34 countries furthest from reaching the MDGs, 22 are in or emerging from conflict.

The development impact of armed violence is clear. Conservative estimates of the fiscal burden of armed violence point to a cost of $US163billon annually - greater than the total global expenditure on Official Development Assistance, and greater than the national annual budget of Norway.

Economists note that conflict-related violence has a lasting impact on economies’ ability to grow sustainably, as capital flight intensifies and states direct an ever-greater proportion of their national budgets to law and order. Indeed, national spending on general health and education in some affected states is lower than the cost of fighting crime and treating injury.

In recent years, more and more states, from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Burundi, have stepped up their efforts to tackle armed violence in cities, on borders, in rural settings, and in the provision of assistance to victims. 108 states are now signatories to the Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development, and we hope that more commitments will be made at the Geneva Conference on Armed Violence. 

We support Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s call for states to address armed violence as part of their commitment to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. Reducing armed violence by addressing its root causes is vital in this endeavour.

As international momentum for addressing armed violence grows, countries will be better-placed to realize their true development potential.   By taking new steps to counter the global scourge of armed violence, communities can live in increased safety and security, and citizens can enjoy the dividends of peace. 
 
Tackling armed violence now will strengthen efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, thus improving the quality of life for millions of our world’s people.