Finland supports the non-governmental organisations’ campaign aiming for an international arms trade agreement

Press Release 299/2003
10 December 2003

Amnesty International, Oxfam and more than 500 other organisations have launched a broad campaign on behalf of regulating the arms trade (the Framework Convention on International Arms Transfers). An appeal requesting support for the initiative has been presented to the Government of Finland.

“Finland supports efforts to negotiate and agree on multilateral principles for a responsible arms trade policy”, states Erkki Tuomioja, Minister for Foreign Affairs. Human rights and humanitarian considerations must be taken into account in all arms trade. By intensifying the monitoring of arms export, the use of arms for both human rights violations and war crimes can be limited.

It has been estimated that there are nearly 650 million small arms throughout the world. The human suffering caused by the uncontrolled spread of small arms can be seen in the world’s crisis sites. Each year small arms kill some half a million people. The victims are mostly civilians, women and children. In recent years, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction has justifiably become a shared global concern. However, this must not lead to sidestepping the issue of conventional arms, especially the problems associated with small arms. Small arms are still today’s real ‘weapons of mass destruction’.

Various efforts to address the problems caused by small arms are made through international co-operation. A UN Programme of Action strives to prevent the illegal arms trade. Elimination of the illegal arms trade calls for a comprehensive approach that also examines nations’ licensed arms exports. All too often, legally exported arms end up as illegal transfers. The responsible arms trade policy followed by the EU Member States, such as Finland, is based on the common rules agreed in 1998. With enlargement of the European Union, next May ten new Member States will come under the scope of these rules. As stipulated by the common EU rules, political criteria (human rights, the recipient country’s internal conflict and conflict with other countries, compliance with international commitments etc.) are used in considering permits. Similar criteria for arms exports have been agreed in the OSCE Document on Small Arms and Light Weapons. There are also other regional and national examples of regulation of the arms trade.

Organisation of the arms trade at the international level is still lacking. The follow-up process of the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms and Human Rights has striven to introduce minimum standards affecting all nations. Finland has worked actively towards inclusion of arms trade criteria in the UN Programme of Action. This has been the goal of the European Union as well. Reaching a consensus is not easy. In addition to new initiatives, active input by governments and non-governmental organisations is also needed. Obligations concerning the arms trade can be derived from many already existing agreements on humanitarian rights. The central content of the Framework Convention, originally launched by Nobel Peace Laureates, is to determine the universal obligations binding all nations of the world.

“It’s time to forge ahead with regard to creating international rules for the arms trade. We consider that actions to gain acceptance as wide as possible for the principles laid down in the Framework Convention are important. Finland, for her part, is ready to support the process aiming at an international arms trade agreement” says Erkki Tuomioja, Minister for Foreign Affairs, in his statement on the United Nations Human Rights Day.

Further information: Folke Sundman, Special Advisor to the Minister, tel. +358 9 160 55016, Counsellor Erik Lundberg, Unit for Arms Control, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. + 358 9 160 55584