Sustaining people-centred disarmament. (DisarmamentWatch).

On 26 June 1945, just days before the first explosion of an atomic device and about a month before the use of this new weapon in war, representatives of the world's nations gathered to sign the UN Charter. This was a treaty that registered the determination of the peoples of the United Nations to pursue several solemn ends, including the goal of saving "succeeding generations from the scourge of war". While its predecessor--the Covenant of the League of Nations--aimed at "the reduction of national armaments to the lowest point consistent with national safety and the enforcement by common action of international obligations" (Article 8), the UN Charter cited "disarmament" twice among its important goals (Articles 11 and 47).

Today, disarmament incorporates both traditions. Some weapons are banned outright, like chemical and biological weapons. Some are on the international agenda for total global elimination, e.g. nuclear weapons and landmines. Some remain for purposes of maintaining domestic order and other legitimate national security needs. The UN Charter, for example, acknowledges the "inherent right of individual or collective self-defence" (Article 51). In addition, it provides "that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest" (Preamble) and authorizes the Security Council to take action, including the use of armed force, to maintain or restore international peace and security (Article 42).

Though the persistence of disarmament as a goal of both the League of Nations and the United Nations demonstrates a continuity of concern, it does not necessarily reveal any continuity of effort to alleviate that concern.

The disappointments of the inter-war disarmament efforts, the ultimate defeat of the Axis powers by force of arms, and the advent of the atomic bomb--all of these faced advocates of disarmament with a daunting challenge. Weapons had killed millions of people and had caused mass destruction. They were getting more lethal and were being produced in ever-increasing numbers. Yet, they were still cited by political leaders as synonymous with the pursuit of national security, on the dubious logic that there was some inevitable relationship between a country's expenditures on arms and the security of its people.

The UN General Assembly revealed quite early its determination to take seriously its disarmament responsibilities under the Charter. On 24 January 1946, it approved its first resolution-Resolution 1(I)-which included among its goals "the elimination from national armaments of atomic weapons and all other major weapons adaptable to mass destruction.

The fact that today, over a half century after this goal was set, this aim has still not been fully achieved must not deflect attention from the progress that the world has made in this period in the disarmament field. Virtually the entire Southern Hemisphere is covered by nuclear-weapon-free zones. It is now forbidden to place nuclear weapons on the seabed, in Antarctica, and to deploy them in outer space. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty will, when it enters into force, outlaw all nuclear-test explosions. Stockpiles of tactical and strategic nuclear weapons have been declining worldwide over the last decade, as countries that once invested heavily in the production of such weapons have slowly turned their attention to cleaning up the enormous environmental problems created by the weapons-production and testing process. Chemical and biological weapons have been outlawed by multilateral conventions.

Efforts are also under way to develop new multilateral controls against the illicit transfer of small arms and light weapons--the focus of a major UN conference in July 2001.

There have been numerous setbacks, especially in the area of global nuclear disarmament. Over 30,000 nuclear weapons reportedly remain in the world. The conduct by India and Pakistan of several nuclear tests in 1998 aggravated regional tensions and further set back international efforts to de-legitimize possession of such weapons. There is also a glaring absence of multilateral norms governing the production, stockpiling, transfer or use of missiles--a problem that extends into the new field of missile defence. Each year, the world is greeted with huge new arms deals involving not only munitions and ammunition but also the technology to make them. Meanwhile, serious problems remain in enforcing arms embargoes that have been mandated by the UN Security Council.

Another ominous development is the recent rise in global military expenditures. In 1990--the last year of the cold war--this figure stood at around $1 trillion a year. Defence spending fell over the last decade to just below $800 billion in 1998, effectively making over $200 billion available for more productive uses in society--a savings that no doubt contributed to the aggregate growth of the world economy in this period. The most recent estimates, however, show that global military expenditures have once again started to rise, fuelled by increased defence spending in several regions and by many of the great Powers. This trend is all the more troubling given that nearly half the world's population still has to make do on less than $2 per day.

These are significant developments indeed.

They demand a very significant response, one deeply rooted in the ideals and interests of the people. While there is no panacea that can possibly remedy all such concerns, disarmament has much more to contribute in achieving these goals than is commonly appreciated. In short, the world community, encompassing grassroots citizens, nation states and international organizations, needs to revitalize disarmament as a tool to serve these collective ideals and interests.

Disarmament, first of all, is not an end in itself; nor is disarmament just about arms. It is about what people can do with fewer arms. It is an important, though often neglected, means by which Governments can advance the security interests of their citizens, improve their social and economic well-being and promote a cleaner environment. The greater the public understands the real costs, risks and sacrifices associated with existing weapons of mass destruction--and the security, and economic and environmental benefits from their elimination--the greater will be the political will to eliminate such weapons. This political will must be nurtured by enlightened leaders throughout society, both inside and outside government. It must find its strength in civil society--the ultimate foundation of efforts worldwide to sustain disarmament as a high priority of Governments and international institutions.

Civil society has surely left its mark on international relations in recent years: it has spawned the highly-successful International Campaign to Ban Landmines; it has led the call for action to alleviate the carnage produced by the illicit trade in small arms; it has promoted the creation of an International Criminal Court; and it has served as a catalyst for international action on the environment, humanitarian affairs, the rights of women and children, and in numerous areas of economic development.

Against this background, "sustainable disarmament" emerges as a new focal point of efforts within civil society to pursue a better world. It is a political strategy to enhance security, promote human welfare and protect the environment through the process of destroying weapons that jeopardize human civilization. It does not take political will for granted and recognizes the need for both citizen education and action to create and reinforce that will among national leaders. It recognizes the need for institutional support, to give it a steady focus and permanence as a goal of policy and of law. In short, it means more than just the physical elimination of this or that weapon system; it seeks to develop an institutionalized support system, rooted in civil society, to advance collective ends with fewer arms.

The ultimate disarmament dividend is human security--the security of all people. It is the ultimate basis for the sustainability of disarmament: the support it deserves, and is increasingly earning, among people everywhere.