Remarks

Remarks by Matt Harrington, Chargé d’Affaires, a.i.,  U.S. Embassy Windhoek
At the African Center for Strategic Studies Conference on
“Enhancing Capacity for Tackling Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Proliferating in Southern Africa”
Monday, September 28, 2009

Good morning.   It is a pleasure to be here and to welcome all of you to this beautiful country.   I know you have a busy week ahead of you but hope you will be able to take some time to see some of Namibia’s stunning countryside. 

Clearly, events like this don’t happen without a great deal of hard work, and I would like to recognize those who have played an instrumental role in organizing this week’s conference.    Angelo Sommers  from the Africa Center of Strategic Studies (ACSS ) deserves special mention.  Thank you for your hard work.

I am honored to help open this week’s discussion of a crucial topic – enhancing capacity for addressing the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. 

In recent years, the terms  “arms control” and “disarmament” may have sparked thoughts of nuclear weapons, or of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) more broadly defined.   But it would be a mistake to overlook the impact of the manufacture and uncontrolled spread of small arms and lights weapons in many regions of the world. 

It is clear that small arms and light weapons (or SALW) pose a serious security challenge around the globe, including in southern Africa.    As the African Union has pointed out, “Because these weapons are easy to use, conceal and maintain, they have been the weapons of choice in many of the conflicts in Africa, particularly those involving non-state actors.”  But as serious as the use of SALW is in armed conflicts, their negative impact reaches far beyond that.

According to the United Nations Development Program, an estimated “740,000 people die each year as a result of the violence associated with armed conflicts and large- and small-scale criminal violence.  The majority of these deaths – 490,000 – occur in non-conflict settings.”  In addition, the UNDP estimates that the cost of armed violence in non-conflict countries annually reaches $ (U.S.) 160 billion worldwide, more than the annual sum spent on official development assistance.

Small arms and light weapons have undermined efforts at economic development, governance and democratization.    Their widespread availability has contributed to massive violations of human rights.  And they have helped create a culture of violence that tears at the social fabric of many countries in Africa.    Curtailing the supply and demand for these weapons contributes to development, respect for human rights, and peace and security both within countries and within regions.

The global security challenges posed by SALW requires a global, collaborative response.  And, fortunately, there is much good work being done on that front. 

At least since the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects met in New York, in July 2001, governments and international and regional organizations --  including the UNDP, African Union and SADC -- have been working together to curb the manufacture and circulation of small arms and light weapons.  

The OAU held its first conference on Small and Light Arms in 2000 in Bamako, Mali, and has continued its active engagement on this issue, now as the AU.   More recently, and closer to home, Namibia hosted the Southern Africa Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Committee (SARPCCO)’s third Regional Coordinating Committee in Swakopmund in May.  During that meeting, Lt-General Sebastian Ndeitunga, the Inspector General of the Namibian Police Force, and Samuel Nuuyoma, the Governor of the Erongo Region, underscored that small arms and light weapons both pose a threat to regional  security and facilitate criminal activity.

The African Center for Strategic Studies has conducted seminars on this topic since 2004. Following that first All-Africa meeting, one of the major recommendations from African leaders was to hold a series of sub-regional workshops on SALW.  Following that advice, ACSS has held workshops in Ouagadougou in 2006 for West Africa, and in Kampala in 2008 for the Great Lakes region and East Africa.   And today that discussion continues here in Windhoek.

This workshop brings together civilian security and military officers from across the sub-region, as well as international experts, and European and American government officials, to focus on practical steps to build sub-regional and national capacity to tackle the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons. 
  
Most of you in this room are on the front lines of this critical effort.   And your discussions this week will have concrete consequences for the peace and security of the countries in which you live.   I wish you well and hope your discussions this week are fruitful. 

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this important event.