Small Arms Transfers: Authorized but Unseen

Small Arms Transfers:

Authorized but Unseen

23 April 2013

10th International Security Forum 2013

Christelle Rigual, Small Arms Survey

Presentation Outline

■ What are undocumented authorized small

arms transfers?

■ Which states fail to provide full info. on their

international transfers?

WHAT ARE UNDOCUMENTED AUTHORIZED

SMALL ARMS TRANSFERS?

Section I

Authorized Transfers

• Transfers are: ‘activities of international trade

comprising export, import, transit, trans-shipment and brokering’ (Arms Trade Treaty, Art. 2, §2) of small arms, light weapons, their parts, accessories, and ammunitions

• Authorized Transfers: ‘international transfers that are authorized by the importing, exporting, or transit states. (Dreyfus, Marsh and Schroeder, 2009, p. 9–10).

• Transparent transfers are reported through national and/or international instruments.

Undocumented transfers: a typology

• Undocumented authorized transfers

– No reports, partial report or misreport of authorized transfers by major exporters/producers

– From minor exporters/producers • Transfers from previous imports or from surpluses

• Undocumented re-exports (including unauthorized re-exports)

• Illicit transfers – Unauthorized transfers

– Diversion (from surpluses/stocks/transfers of lawful users)

– Authorized but contradicting international standards

WHICH STATES FAIL TO PROVIDE FULL INFO. ON

THEIR INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS?

Section II

Gaps in Transparency

• Top ten least transparent

countries, according to the Small

Arms Survey Transparency

Barometer 2012 (among major

exporters)

Least transparent major

exporters , 2010

1 Iran

1 North Korea

1 United Arab Emirates

4 South Africa

5 Saudi Arabia

6 Russian Federation

7 Singapore

8 China

9 Taiwan

10 Cyprus

10 Brazil

Source: Lazarevic, 2012, p. 311

Major Exporters

and Undocumented Transfers

• Selected Major actors under-reporting (i,.e.

not reporting all categories of weapons, missing

partners …)

» Belgium

» China

» Russia

» United States

Minor Exporters

and Undocumented Transfers

• Undocumented re-exports from state stockpiles

– Angola deliveries of light weapons and ammunitions to

Côte d’Ivoire in 2002

– Albanian surpluses delivered to Benghazi in 2011

Unauthorized Re-exports

• Authorized import of weapons, with provision of end-user

certificate, then violated by the importing country who re-

exports the weapons to an unauthorized end-user.

– United Arab Emirates and Qatar’s Swiss re-exports

– Sudan re-transfers

Concluding Remarks

■ Many routes for undocumented

authorized transfers – Nationally authorized but no reported

– Might contradict international standards

■ Many possible untransparent actors – Major exporting countries under-reporting

– Less known actors (non-exporters/producers)

exporting from surpluses/previous imports

SMALL ARMS SURVEY 2012 • MOVING TARGETS

Small Arms Survey 2012

Moving Targets

23 April 2013

10th International Security Forum

Any questions? www.smallarmssurvey.org