Governments pledge support for small arms programmes

New offers of support came from Belgium and UK at the conclusion on Friday of the UN Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons, a two-week conference seeking to curb the proliferation of small arms in some of the world’s most conflict-ridden areas, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) announced in a press release. Belgium pledged US $1.5 million for a three-year small arms programme in the Great Lakes region, including the DRC. The UK announced it would provide about US $27 million for UN agencies, regional organisations, governments and NGOs to help implement resolutions of the conference, a substantial portion of which is earmarked for UNDP’s small arms programme. “Unlike traditional disarmament methods and approaches that attempt to stem the supply of illicit arms around the world, UNDP works to provide development incentives, such as job training and opportunities for members of communities who turn in their small arms, which are used to kill more than a half million people every year,” the UNDP statement said. “Each programme is tailored to meet the needs of the people and the circumstances of a specific country.”