Report

on
"Training Workshop on Small Arms and Light Weapons Research in the Middle East and North Africa Region"

Organized by the Regional human Security Centre at the Jordan Institute of Diplomacy and Small Arms Survey
14-15 September 2004, Amman, Jordan

Prepared by:

Rawan Fadayel Bahou
Assistant Director
Regional Human Security Centre
at the Jordan Institute of Diplomacy

Tel No.: +962 6 5930253/5930810
Fax No.:+962 6 5930296
e-mail: r-fadayel@id.gov.jo
http://www.id.gov.jo/human/index.html

Executive Summary:

Since its early establishment, the Regional Human Security Centre (RHSC), has been dealing with the issue of Small Arms and Light Weapons in many ways. This work comes in the core context of the human security concept, which is the freedom from fear. 

As the first Center established in Jordan to deal with the SALW, the RHSC conducted many activities (4 workshops, 1 seminar, 1 conference) that address the phenomenon at the national, regional and international levels. Moreover, the RHSC is a member in the MENA Network to Stop the Proliferation and Misuse of Illicit Small Arms (which was established as one output of one of the RHSC’s activities) and a member of IANSA (International Action Network on Small Arms). In addition to that, the RHSC has been cooperating and coordinating with the Small Arms Survey in Switzerland through exchanging information and publications, participating in activities and signing a memorandum of understanding.

According to the experiences of RHSC and Small Arms Survey, there has been a growing understanding and acceptance of the need to address small arms issue within the Arab Region. However, there is a lack of information about the exact challenges surrounding the SALW issues. Research is the solution to define the scope and the nature of the SALW problem at the local, national and regional levels in the MENA region. The lack of knowledge of how to apply research methods to small arms created the need for training in this particular area.

Institutions such as the Small Arms Survey, which has led the way in conducting research on small arms, and the Regional Human Security Center, which has brought the small arms issue within the region to the forefront of discussions, were well prepared to conduct a regional training workshop on research on small arms and light weapons.

Workshop’s Objectives:

1. To conduct practical training (two-day workshop) for purposes of imparting basic SALW research skills to participants.
2. To provide interested Arab country researchers with a written guide to conducting research on small arms.

Participation:

Twenty-one researchers and NGO’s representatives from Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt, the Sudan, and Yemen participated in the workshop.  Participations also included a representative from the Canadian Embassy in Jordan and the Quaker regional representative.

Structure of the Workshop’s Program:

The workshop started with welcoming remarks by H.E. Mr. Farouk Kasrawi, JID President and Co-Chair of the RHSC Board of Directors and Mr. Glenn Mcdonald, Yearbook Coordinator and Senior Researcher at the Small Arms Survey. Afterwards, several introductory and background presentations were made highlighting the SALW issues in the MENA region were introduced to participants.

The training started on the third session, and Dr. Anna Khakee, Senior Researcher at the Small Arms Survey took on the task as the Workshop’s trainer in the training sessions that continued till the second day ending at 5:00 pm.  The workshop’s programme is attached for further information.

Highlights on Opening Remarks:

1. Ambassador Farouk Kasrawi, President, Jordan Institute of Diplomacy and Co-Chairman of the RHSC Board of Directors.

Ambassador Kasrawi welcomed the participants and wished them success in the workshop. He highlighted the fact that this workshop was organized upon the belief of its organizers that research in small arms and light weapons needs more concentration and attention from experts and practitioners of the MENA region. To achieve this, researchers in the field must be trained on how to conduct research and to be knowledgeable of its mechanisms in order to define the volume of the phenomenon in the region.

1. Mr. Glenn Macdonald, Yearbook Coordinator and Senior Researcher, Small Arms Survey, Switzerland.

He linked human security with SALW, adding that the proliferation of small arms imposes a threat to the security of humans, which is different from state security.

Then, he remarked that the last ministerial meeting for the Human Security Network (HSN) concentrated its discussions this year on SALW and Anti personnel landmines.

 Highlights on Presentations:

1. Small Arms as a Human Security Issue and its link to Development, Mr. Glenn McDonald, Small Arms Survey, Switzerland

He briefly reviewed the human security concept and its   evolution internationally; and discussed many related themes like SALW, AP landmines, ICC...etc.

He remarked that SALW negatively impacts human development. He added that where guns dominate, development suffers. There are direct effects of small arms availability and the misuse of SALW, which include fatal and non-fatal injuries. On the other hand, indirect impacts on human development often go unnoticed; SALW has severe implications for the safety of individuals and communities’ labor and productivity, the costs of goods and services, the value of property investment and tourism.

1. Small Arms and its Link to Other Issues and Concerns, Mr. Osman Hasan, Director of Human Security Initiative Organization, Sudan

He clarified that conflicts are limited to the presence of the small arms and light weapons. He talked then about the Darfour conflict in west Sudan.

1. The Role of Civil Society Organizations in Addressing the Issue of Small Arms, Mr. Fadi Abi Allam, President, Permanent Peace Movement, Lebanon, presented by Ms. Lina Hamawi

She mentioned that the roles of NGO in addressing the issue of SALW lie in providing information, monitoring a data base, capacity building, providing training, carrying out developmental projects and raising awareness of the dangers of SALW.

1. Supply and Demand Aspects, Mr. Jason Erb, Quaker Services Middle East Representative, Jordan

In his presentation, Mr. Erb focused on the supply and demand aspect of the issue. There are tangible aspects of the issues where research projects are well underway like those on licensing and the historical and cultural aspects of using SALW, while supply and demand are much complicated aspects of the issue and tracing them is considered very difficult.

NGOs and community members can play important roles in raising awareness on the demand aspect. They can contribute in developing programs and reliable data.

1. The Specificity of the Small Arms Issue in Countries and Communities across the MENA Region, Mr. Ezz Eddin Asbahi, General Director of Human Rights and Information Training Centre, Yemen.

The specificity of SALW in the MENA region lies in the variation of the problem in different countries of this region. For example, the reasons of SALW proliferation in Lebanon are different than that in Yemen.

In Lebanon, the problem lies in the lack of security and the legacy of the civil war that remained 25 years. Its impacts are still tangible. In Yemen, the problem is different, the society is tribal and one can notice all the aspects of the problem: supply and demand, proliferation, possession and carrying.

He added that Algeria, another Arab country, is affected by SALW due to the internal conflict that is induced by terrorism.

Iraq and Palestine are acute crises in the MENA region where the political dimensions of the issue inevitably complicate conditions to the utmost.

1. National and Regional Measures, Dr. Ghazi Thuneibat, General Director Office, Public Security Directorate

He talked about the scope of the problem in Jordan and the regional coordination on SALW represented by the Arab Ministers of Interior Council, subordinated from the Arab League.

1. International Measures, Mr. Glenn Mcdonald.

Discussions around the SALW issues emerged internationally in the post cold war period, allowing for more information on supply, demand, proliferation and possession.

In its efforts towards peace and justice, the UN adopted the UN Plan of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in SALW in All its Aspects" on Small Arms and Light Weapons with a review and follow-up plan. Internationally, the program helped to decrease the negative impacts of SALW and tackled the demand aspect of the issue.

Some Highlights on discussion:

Although the workshop has a training nature, there was some time allocated to discussions on many aspects related to the SALW, like supply and demand, possession and transfer.

Other issues like the Arab Israeli conflict, Darfour conflict in west Sudan, the involvement of the US in the weapon industry and the NGO roles in addressing the issue were discussed and signed to several times.

Majority of views revolved around the variation of the phenomenon in different Arab countries and the importance of differentiating between the struggle against the occupation and use of SALW by militia and organized crime gangs.

Recommendations by participants:

1. To conduct workshops on specific aspects of the SALW phenomenon in the MENA region like SALW and the political dimensions in the MENA region and SALW and the Media.
2. To continue conducting training workshops on various issues related to SALW and human security.

Annexes:

1. Workshop’s programme
2. Workshop’s list of participants
3. Evaluation summary