ARMED VIOLENCE REDUCTION

Transcription

1 Pete Muller ARMED VIOLENCE REDUCTION

2 Giovanni Diffi denti 2

3 DDG ArmeD Violence reduction The Global Burden of Armed Violence Each year armed fighting and violent conflicts cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of men, women and children and injure millions more. Armed violence not only kills individuals it destroys families and orphans children; it takes away livelihoods and impoverishes whole populations; it causes physical disability and burdens health services; it destroys infrastructure and weakens the rule of law; and it obstructs establishment of sustainable political organisation. In short: Armed violence impedes development everywhere it occurs. Acknowledging the severity of armed violence, Danish Demining Group (DDG) has developed a comprehensive Armed Violence Reduction (AVR) approach to reduce the impact of conflict and armed violence. According to the Geneva Declaration Secretariat: At least 526,000 people die each year as a direct result of armed violence In addition, hundreds of thousands of people die of non-violent causes directly resulting from armed violence The cost of homicidal violence is estimated at between 95 and 163 billion USD each year Developing countries on average spend 10-15% of their GDP on law enforcement Source: Geneva Declaration Secretariat (2008), Global Burden of Armed Violence. 3

4 DDG ArmeD Violence reduction The Armed Violence Lens Our work is guided by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development s (OECD) Armed Violence Lens. The lens depicts the main elements and intervention levels that shape the patterns of armed violence from the local to the global level: People: In DDG, we apply a bottom up approach focusing on the security needs and perceptions of individuals, communities and societies. Agents: We address perpetrators of, and accomplices to, armed violence. Instruments: We address the accessibility and availability of weapons and explosive remnants of war. Institutions: We work to positively impact formal institutions and informal cultural norms, rules and practices that protect against, or enable, violence. Objective of DDG s AVR work To ensure the respect, protection and fulfillment of the right to life, safety and security of person for conflict-affected populations by addressing the threats posed by armed violence, mines, unexploded ordnance and small arms & light weapons 4

5 Institutions Both formal institutions of governance and informal (traditional and cultural) norms, rules and practices Global Regional National Local Instruments Includes the unregulated availability and distribution of small arms & light weapons,mines, explosive remnants of war (ERW) and factors affecting their supply People Individuals, communities and societies affected by armed violence Agents Perpetrators of armed violence and motivations for acquisition and misuse of arms (demand factors) 5 Source: OECD (2009), Armed Violence Reduction: Enabling Development. Modifi ed from original

6 DDG AVR Sub-Sectors Institutions Instruments Agents Capacity Building of Government and Civil Society Support to Security Providers Small Arms Management Mine Action Conflict Prevention Legislation Policy Guidelines Early Warning Community & District Safety Plans Support & Training Advise & Consultancy Accountability Mechanisms Micro Grants for Peace Building Initiatives Community-Police Dialogue Support to Police Outreach Military Accountability Measures Guidelines & Reporting Systems Training Advocacy Weapons & Ammunition Management ISACS Advisory Risk & Safety Education Awareness Raising Campaigns Safe Storage Weapons Tracing Marking & Registration Research Mine Clearance Battle Area Clearance Explosive Ordnance Disposal Stockpile Destruction Risk Education Surveys Capacity Building of Mine Action Authorities Advocacy Conflict Management Education Mitigation Strategies & Mechanisms Support to Conflict Resolution Conflict Analysis & Mapping Conflict Sensitivity Training Peace Meetings Advocacy 6

7 DDG ArmeD Violence reduction Five AVR Sub-Sectors Capacity Building of Government and Civil Society: Building and strengthening capacity of institutions as a basis for good governance and stability. Support to Security Providers: Training of police and military in conflict sensitivity and safe behaviour and improving relationships with communities through dialogue. Small Arms Management: Increasing awareness of the dangers of small arms, promoting safe storage and handling of weapons, and preventing accidents. Mine Action: Mine clearance, disposal of explosive remnants of war, and risk education to improve safe behaviour. Conflict Prevention: Supporting local and international conflict prevention, management and resolution efforts through conflict sensitive programming and conflict management education. DDG has helped the Government of Liberia draft national firearms legislation supported the police in Somalia to become more responsive to civilian needs provided more than 8,300 firearm owners in Somaliland with safe storage devices for their weapons built capacity of the Uganda Mine Action Centre to reach their goal of a mine-free Uganda provided technical programming advice to advance the conflict sensitivity of humanitarian and development interventions in South Sudan 7

8 DDG ArmeD Violence reduction Armed Violence Reduction and Development People affected by armed violence suffer not only a direct physical threat the psychological effects can be just as devastating by halting subsistence activities and reducing investment and general economic activity. Armed violence impedes development everywhere it occurs, just as development is necessary to prevent violent conflict reerupting. In DDG, we combine programmes with our parent organisation, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), and collaborate to address the underlying drivers of conflict, such as scarcity of resources and lack of livelihoods. DRC provides emergency relief, housing, building of infrastructure, resettlement and return for IDPs, and support to agriculture and livelihoods. By addressing both causes and symptoms through collaboration with DRC, we ensure that there is synergy in efforts which in turn leads to stronger and more sustainable impact. There is no long-term security without development. There is no development without security. Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in an address to the United Nations, 2006 Although the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) do not directly state reduction of armed violence as a target, armed violence impedes humanitarian and socio-economic development and thus acts as an obstruction to achieving the MDGs. DDG advocates for the need to acknowledge prevention and reduction of armed violence as a prerequisite for human development and thus for the achievement of the MDGs. DDG actively supports the Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development and the Oslo Commitments on Armed Violence. 8

9 9 Giovanni Diffi denti

10 DDG ArmeD Violence reduction Measuring Impact In DDG we use a mixed method approach to measure the impact of our interventions, combining qualitative and quantitative research methods, interviews and questionnaires. We involve the communities we support in measuring impact. Their knowledge, behaviour and opinions form the evidence on which we base our findings. When looking at impact, we go beyond the square metres of land cleared and number of gun locks fitted on small arms. Impact, to us, is about the changes in people s lives that are generated from having a more secure home or access to safe land. Uganda: 64% increase in people who said that the level of armed violence had reduced compared to one year ago Somalia: 25% reduction in firearmsrelated accidents South Sudan: 83% of community members found that DDG s conflict management education had reduced conflict in their community Somaliland: 66% of all identified civilian owners of explosive remnants of war disarmed 10

11 Vest-Lillesøe 11 William

12 DANISH DEMINING GROUP Borgergade 10 DK-1300 copenhagen Denmark tel Photo: Mikkel Bo / Pete Muller / William Vest-Lillesøe / Janis Grychowski Layout: designnow.dk