Swiss leads UN efforts against illegal arms trade

Small arms are also used in armed conflicts involving child soldiers Keystone

A Swiss diplomat has been appointed to head a United Nations group working against the illegal trade in small arms and light weapons.

The body’s main aim is to curb the spread of small arms, which are responsible for one death per minute worldwide.

Anton Thalmann, currently Swiss ambassador to Canada, was nominated for the post of president of the Group of Governmental Experts on Tracing Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons on Thursday in New York. He was the only candidate.

The 56-year-old diplomat is the author of a key report on defence in Switzerland, which formed the basis for the reform of the army which took place on January 1 this year. He later spent time in the diplomatic service in Brussels.

Thalmann’s new position should be confirmed at the beginning of February.

Arms trade

As president, his main task will be to help prepare a UN conference on small arms – due to be held in 2006 – which is aimed at bringing the issue to international attention.

Thalmann will also preside over a UN action plan to make the small arms trade more transparent. As part of this work, the group will examine the feasibility of developing an international instrument to enable states to identify and trace illegal small and light arms.

The weapons concerned include pistols, machine guns and rifles, as well as mortars and anti-aircraft missiles.

“Small Arms Survey”, a report published by the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva in 2003, estimates there are 639 million small arms or light weapons in use around the world – of which 41 per cent are illegal.

It is estimated that between 500,000 and 700,000 people are killed by small arms fire each year, roughly the equivalent of one death per minute.

Of 49 major conflicts in the 1990s, 47 were waged with small arms as the weapons of choice, according to the UN.

Swiss contribution

The Swiss have been active for some time in the fight against the proliferation of small arms.

In July 2001 Switzerland and France presented an initiative to help curb the trade at a UN conference on small arms in New York.

The UN programme of action to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons was subsequently passed by more than 156 countries.

But the main stumbling block facing Thalmann is likely to be the United States, the largest producer of small arms in the world, which has criticised the initiative.

It has refused to sign the section concerning private gun ownership and ban the sale of guns to non-governmental foreign buyers.

The Swiss also have a strong gun culture. The “Small Arms Survey” found there were 1.2 million guns in private hands in Switzerland. Around 500,000 men are required to keep guns at home as part of their responsibilities under the militia system.

Recent calls for a central gun registration system – most notably by the former justice minister, Ruth Metzler, have encountered stiff opposition from the gun lobby.

swissinfo, Renat Künzi (translation: Isobel Leybold)

Key facts

According to the “Small Arms Survey”, there are 639 million small arms in circulation in the world, 41 per cent are illegal.
The trade in small arms brings in SFr7.4 billion ($5.9 billion) per year.
Between 500,000 and 700,000 people die as a result of small arms fire – one victim per minute.
The US is the biggest producer of small arms – 96 out of 100 US citizens own a gun.
There are 1.2 million guns in private hands in Switzerland.