World Chronicle 897: Kuniko Inoguchi, 2003 Biennial Meeting on Small Arms; João Honwana, Conventional Arms Branch

SMALL ARMS, DEADLY WEAPONS

Much has been made in recent times of the issue of weapons of mass destruction and what would happen if they ended up in the hands of terrorists. But at least half a million people every year are killed by more conventional means: small arms and light weapons. There are an estimated 600,000,000 such weapons in circulation today - 40 percent of them illegally. Can the illicit trade in small arms be eradicated, as proposed in the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons? What incentives can be given for collecting and destroying light weapons in postconflict situations? How can weapons be traced? In this edition of World Chronicle, these questions are discussed with the help of Ambassador Kuniko Inoguchi, the Chairperson designate of the 2003 Biennial Meeting on Small Arms and Light Weapons, and Joao Honwapa, Chief of the Conventional Arms Branch of the UN Department of Disarmament Affairs.