ISF International Security Forum

Tuesday, 31 May 2011, 09:00 - 10:30

Hosted by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA)

The international community has become increasingly aware that, apart from being a major cause of human suffering, armed violence severely impacts the achievements of and prospects for development. Both in conflict and non-conflict settings, it impedes developmental opportunities and heavily challenges the state in its responsibility to guarantee security and other basic public services, sometimes pushing state institutions to the brink of collapse. Armed violence is a major obstacle to the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals.

As armed violence is both cause and consequences of underdevelopment, the issue needs to be addressed holistically and in the long term. The approach of the international community needs to be coordinated and anchored in an evidence-based approach. Monitoring and evaluation of programs need to be put together and communicated to allow donors and recipient countries to devise more effective programs to address this complex issue. Programming should not only take into account the issue of weapons availability, but also focus on a broad set of circumstantial and structural risk factors, particularly with regard to basic education and employment opportunities.

The approach that the signatories of the Geneva Declaration have been advocating is now gaining momentum in the United Nations and is increasingly being put into practice in programming efforts on the ground. Nevertheless, many questions remain unanswered and much needs to be done to change the lives of communities and individuals who suffer from armed violence and its inhibitive effects on sustainable development. This panel will discuss some core issues related to armed violence in view of the Second Ministerial Review Conference taking place 31 October - 1 November 2011 in Geneva.

Listen to Armed Violence (Audio)

Chair

David Atwood
Director and Representative for Disarmament and Peace, Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO), Geneva Switzerland

Speakers

Luigi de Martino
Geneva Declaration Project Coordinator, Small Arms Survey, Geneva, Switzerland

Erwin van Veen
OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC), Paris, France

Zack Taylor
Programme Specialist, Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Geneva, Switzerland

Elisabeth Gilgen
Researcher, Small Arms Survey, Geneva, Switzerland

More on Discussion Topic

Violence, Human Security 

Location

Purple Room