Volunteers in Action

Weapons for Development Projects
By Angela Griep

Since September 2002, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been working on an Illicit Small Arms Control (ISAC) Project in Kosovo. “The idea is to exchange weapons for development dollars,” explains UNV Andrew House from Canada, Legal Policy Analyst for ISAC. Under an initiative called “Weapons-in-Exchange for Development,” a community would present to UNDP the number of weapons it expects to collect, and UNDP would discuss with the community the kind of development project it could implement in exchange.

The ISAC Project is premised on the idea that in a post-conflict situation, people long for security and are ready to move into a development phase. “Civilian-owned automatic weapons have no place in an advancing society,” says Andrew, “especially one that hopes to be part of Europe in one way or another. “ The ISAC Team believes that people’s actual and perceived security would improve if illicit small arms were removed from circulation. “This can also improve the economy,” emphasizes Andrew. “Business people would feel more secure in running their businesses, so it would improve investment – it’s part of building a better economy and creating new jobs.”

Kosovo is sometimes described as having a “gun culture.” This can make it difficult to collect small arms in the territory. “On the one hand, there is a certain machismo associated with weapons, a fascination with them,” explains Andrew. “On the other hand, many people still feel they need them for protection.” To convince people to give up their illicit weapons, values surrounding arms first have to change in Kosovo. “There are enough people in Kosovo –legitimate actors like the police and KFOR— that are here to guarantee your security,” says Andrew. “KFOR is still here, KPS has become an excellent police force and we still have the International CIVPOL. I feel safer here than in downtown London. ISAC’s public information campaign says to people ‘you don’t need a weapon to feel like a man and you don’t need a weapon to be safe.’”

The actual implementation of the ISAC project is slated for summer 2003. “Building the necessary contacts with police, KFOR, the communities, choosing the areas to begin the program, building a legal framework for the whole thing – this all took time,” Andrew says with regard to the long preparation phase. To put their plan into action, the ISAC Team will meet with officials in targeted areas to explain the roles, benefits and challenges of the Project. “We want to be up front with the community leaders,” says Andrew. “This is probably one of the most difficult leadership tasks they will ever undertake. They have to convince people to switch from a conflict mind-set to a development mind-set.”

Once a community agrees to participate in the Project, basic negotiations about numbers and types of weapons that could come out of the community and the type of project that could go in will begin. “We will have a variety of projects pre-positioned,” explains Andrew, “but the emphasis is on the choice of the community: they will present us with a proposal on what they would reasonably like to receive in exchange for the weapons.”

Despite the difficulties the Project faces, Andrew is optimistic regarding its success. “We had a very good dry-run with our last initiative, a hunting weapon registration campaign. It was very successful. Many people registered their hunting and recreational weapons.” This last success provides a basis for Andrew’s optimism about the return of illicit weapons. “During the hunting weapon campaign we built really strong partnerships with KFOR, CIV POL, the KPS and Pillar I. Working with those organizations and community leaders, we have high hopes that things will go, if not smoothly, at least successfully in the end.”

The ISAC Team consists of 10 people of different backgrounds and skills. Former military as well as academics who worked in the area of disarmament are represented. Furthermore, a civil society and public information team are part of the effort. Andrew is one of two legal officers. “Since we deal with the police, KFOR and Pillar I, there is a fairly heavy legal component to the ISAC Project,” says the UNV. “UNDP wants to bolster rule of law, so that all parties involved are obeying some sort of regulation, be it in how the weapons are collected, or how we set up the program to exchange weapons for development dollars.”

Andrew arrived in Kosovo in August 2002. “After I graduated from law school, I did an apprenticeship with a business law firm which only confirmed that I didn’t want to be a corporate lawyer,” recalls Andrew. “My act of rebellion was to run away to Kosovo, which was a good move I think.” During his first six months with UNDP in Kosovo, Andrew was an intern sponsored by the Canadian government. It was only at the end of March that Andrew received his call to the Bar in Canada. “When I came back to Kosovo it was as a lawyer and a UNV,” he says. Andrew’s future plans include other missions but not right away. “First I need to get some more domestic legal experience. I would love to do some criminal law back in Canada and then do that work internationally. War crimes prosecution – that would be my dream job.”

For more information please contact:

Angela Griep, UNV Public Information Officer, UNMIK, Email griep@un.org, or
Chrsitine Botejue-Kyle, UNV Programme Manager, UNMIK, Email botejue-kyle@un.org