Small Arms Survey

Small Arms Survey
Name	Small Arms Survey
Formation	1999
Headquarters	Geneva, Switzerland
Fields	Small arms and light weapons research, arms control, disarmament
Leader title	Director
Leader name	Isabelle Garrote

Small Arms Survey The Small Arms Survey is an independent research project based in Geneva specializing in data, analysis, and policy studies on small arms and light weapons. It conducts quantitative and qualitative research on arms flows, armed violence, and arms control, engaging with actors such as the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union, and numerous non-governmental organizations to inform treaty negotiations, humanitarian responses, and security sector reform.

Overview and Mission

The Survey's mission emphasizes evidence-based analysis of arms proliferation, conflict dynamics, and arms policy to support implementation of international instruments like the Arms Trade Treaty, the Geneva Conventions, and the UN Programme of Action on small arms. It aims to produce reliable estimations and normative guidance for stakeholders including the International Committee of the Red Cross, NATO, the World Bank, and regional bodies such as ECOWAS and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Core activities include data collection, methodological innovation, capacity building with actors such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Crisis Group, and academic partners at institutions like the University of Oxford and the Graduate Institute Geneva.

History and Organizational Structure

Founded in the late 1990s with support from foundations and multilateral agencies during processes associated with the UN General Assembly and the UN Disarmament Commission, the Survey grew alongside initiatives such as the Ottawa Process on landmines and the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Its governance has involved a board comprising figures linked to institutions like the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Chatham House, the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, and the Brookings Institution. Operational units collaborate with programmatic networks tied to the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, the African Union Commission, the Economic Community of West African States, the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, and the International Organization for Migration. Staff and associates have academic affiliations with Harvard Kennedy School, Columbia University, King’s College London, and the University of Geneva.

Research Programs and Methodologies

Research programs span weapons tracing, conflict analysis, armed violence monitoring, ammunition management, and gendered dimensions of armed violence. Methodologies combine field surveys, arms-marking analysis, forensic ballistics, remote sensing with satellite imagery interpretation, open-source intelligence drawing on sources like Jane’s, SIPRI databases, and UN Panel of Experts reports, and statistical modelling employed by teams with links to RAND Corporation, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, and the International Monetary Fund. Projects often intersect with legal analysis of treaties such as the Arms Trade Treaty, the Geneva Conventions, and regional instruments used by the African Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Methodological partnerships include collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross laboratories, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, and forensic departments at universities such as McGill, Leiden, and the University of Cape Town.

Publications and Key Findings

The Survey publishes annual assessments, thematic reports, briefing papers, datasets, and working papers that have been cited in policy debates involving the United Nations Security Council, the European Parliament, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and national legislatures in states like the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Brazil, India, and South Africa. Key findings have addressed illicit arms flows in contexts including Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Colombia; diversion risks linked to military aid programs from the United States Department of Defense and European External Action Service procurements; and the humanitarian impact of armed violence documented alongside organizations such as Médecins Sans Frontières and the International Rescue Committee. Major reports have examined ammunition management in contexts addressed by NATO assistance, post-conflict weapons collection programs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, disarmament initiatives in Sierra Leone, and demobilization efforts connected to the United Nations Mission in Liberia and the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor.

Impact, Outreach, and Policy Influence

The Survey's research has informed negotiations at the United Nations General Assembly on arms control resolutions, contributed evidence to debates at the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining, and supported legislative reform processes in countries engaging with the Arms Trade Treaty. Its outreach includes workshops with law enforcement agencies such as INTERPOL and Europol, training for customs officials working with the World Customs Organization, and briefings for delegations at conferences hosted by the United Nations Office at Geneva and the Conference on Disarmament. Influence can be traced in programmatic shifts by donors including the European Commission, the United States Agency for International Development, and philanthropic funders that support security sector reform linked to projects by the International Institute for Strategic Studies and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding sources have included multilateral donors like the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, the European Commission, and thematic grants from UN agencies, alongside charitable foundations such as the Ford Foundation, the Open Society Foundations, the MacArthur Foundation, and the Carnegie Corporation. Partnerships span academic collaborations with the London School of Economics, the University of Pretoria, and the Australian National University; operational links with the International Committee of the Red Cross, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch; and engagement with policy institutions including SIPRI, RAND Corporation, the Brookings Institution, Chatham House, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The Survey also coordinates with regional entities like ECOWAS, the Economic Community of Central African States, and ASEAN to support capacity-building and policy implementation efforts.

Category:Disarmament