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'Development Denied': Release of Small Arms Survey 2003, September 22

'Small Arms Survey 2003: Development Denied', Media Release from the Small Arms Survey, http://www.smallarmssurvey.org, September 22.

The 2003 edition of the Small Arms Survey, subtitled 'Development Denied', includes new and updated information and analysis on global small arms production, stockpiles and legal and illicit transfers, plus a review of international, regional and national measures to address the issue of small arms production. ... New issues covered in the 2003 edition include:

• the impact of small arms availability and misuse on human development;
• a detailed analysis of small arms issues in Yemen, the Republic of Georgia and the Republic of Congo;
• a review of global and regional small arms norms, with particular emphasis on the UN Conference Programme of Action on small arms.

The Small Arms Survey is produced annually by a team of researchers based in Geneva, Switzerland, and a worldwide network of local researchers. ... According to Mark Malloch Brown, Administrator, UNDP [United Nations Development Programme]: "[Small arms] have an insidious effect on development: by undermining the safety and security of communities, threatening livelihoods, and destroying social networks, they at best hold back and at worst contribute to the reversal of hard-won development gains. This edition of Small Arms Survey makes an invaluable contribution to global efforts to develop and implement effective projects to limit the use and spread of small arms. It provides an important global point of reference for UNDP and other international agencies seeking to confront this critical challenge to human security." ...

Key Findings

• At least 1,134 companies in 98 countries worldwide are involved in some aspect of the production of small arms and/or ammunition.
• There are at least 639 million firearms in the world today, of which 59% are legally held by citizens.
• Civilians purchase more than 80% of all the firearms that are currently manufactured worldwide each year.
• More than 20 countries now provide official statistics on their annual small arms exports.
• The largest small arms exporters, by value, are the EU and the US.
• Small arms violence can have a severe impact on human development, including death and injury, the collapse of basic services, and declines in economic activity.
• More than four million small arms have been eliminated from the global stockpile in the last decade as a result of various weapons collection programmes.

For more information, please contact: Small Arms Survey... E-mail: smallarm@hei.unige.ch, Web site http://www.smallarmssurvey.org.

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© 2003 The Acronym Institute.