Human security and disarmament

Human security and disarmament are intimately connected. As long as there are weapons in the world, they are going to be used. Military armament poses a threat to humanity, not only because of the increased risk of war. It devours enormous resources in the form of research, money, raw materials, energy and land, at the same time as a billion human beings subsist on less than two dollars a day.

The program consists of three parts:

Small arms

The type of weapon that destroys life for most people today is the so-called small arms, weapons that can be carried by one or more people. Approximately 500 000 people die every year because of small arms - in armed conflicts, in accidents in the home, or because of armed criminality . Small arms have become the world's real weapons of mass destruction. SweFOR's work to stop the proliferation has been going on since the end of the nineties and forms the core of the program. Read more >>

Disarmament and the arms trade

In 2004 Sweden was the ninth greatest exporter of weapons in the world, in spite of the fact that exporting arms helps to strengthen dictatorships, undermine respect for human rights and prevent an effective campaign against poverty. SweFOR works with information and advocacy work for a more restrictive policy as regards the arms' trade, both on paper and in reality. Read more >>

The debate on security

All armed conflicts can be prevented at one stage or another. It is possible to eradicate war if the world uses its resources in a preventive way. In the debate on security, SweFOR argues that the European Union and Sweden should support preventive actions more than they do today. We have also taken part in military exercises to indicate the peace-building role that organisations in civil society can and should play, before, during and after an armed conflict. Read more >>

For more information about the human security and disarmament program, please contact Håkan Mårtensson, phone +46-8-453 69 94, E-mail hakan.martensson@swefor.org.