Presentation on Best Practice; Successful Projects in the Context of Demand Factor
by Yasumitsu Kida

Project Manager, Japan Assistance Team for Small Arms Management in Cambodia (JSAC)
at Tokyo Workshop on Small Arms and Light Weapons
March 13, 2007

It is a great honor for me to be here today and to give a presentation on our program and its lessons as one of the “Best Practice” of SALW projects.  Japan Assistance Team for Small Arms Management in Cambodia (JSAC) has supported the Royal Government of Cambodia in carrying out “Peace Building and Comprehensive Small Arms Management Programme in Cambodia” funded by the Government of Japan since April 2003.  Our program aims to address SALW issues in Cambodia through “the effective collection, stockpile management and destruction of SALW” as an implementation effort on ground of the Programme of Action.

The SALW Problem in Cambodia

Turning firstly to an overview of the SALW problem in Cambodia, SALW which were used during the long civil war still remain in the country.  The exact number of weapons is not known, but one study used to estimate the number to be between 300,000 to 500,000 before.  Although the situation is improving as a result of the efforts made by the Government of Cambodia and its supporting donors, the proliferation of SALW remains one of the largest problems in Cambodia in terms of security and safety, and has been acknowledged as such by the Government of Cambodia.  JSAC has conducted its program in five Provinces of northwestern Cambodia, which include one of the last strongholds of Khmer Rouge and the hottest battlefields during the civil war era.

Demand Factors of SALW Possession

Why do people in post-conflict countries choose to keep their SALW?  This fundamental question on demand factors of SALW would be valuable for formulating more effective strategies in addressing the problems.  I do not think that there is a particular and correct answer which can account for every situation in all post-conflict areas.  In the case of Cambodia, however, we have found three major reasons from our continuous field presence.  Firstly, people try to protect their families and property from dangers and crimes by themselves due to the sense of insecurity.  They lack confidence in security forces, perceiving them as incapable and unwilling to provide security.  This leads to the need of enhancing the capacity of relevant authorities in providing maintaining security.  Secondly, the prolonged conflict have left behind a “Culture of Violence.”  In such societies, people tend to solve problems with violent measures and are accustomed to using weapons.  Efforts to shift the society from a “Culture of Violence” to a “Culture of Peace” are necessary.  Lastly, in Cambodia, some people still believe that SALW have monetary value and expect them to be exchanged with something.

JSAC’s Project as one of the Best Practice

JSAC’s program consists of five projects, designed as a comprehensive set to tackle SALW problems and build peace in Cambodia.  They are: Weapons Reduction and Development for Peace (WDP) Project, Weapons Destruction Project, Safe Storage and Registration Project, Public Awareness Project and National Commission Support Project.  Today, I would like to introduce three projects: Weapons Reduction and Development for Peace Project, Weapons Destruction Project and Safe Storage and Registration Project, which are designed to tackle those demand factors in Cambodia.

The first project is the Weapons Reduction and Development for Peace Project, in which, JSAC encourages civilians to voluntarily surrender SALW through repeated educational workshops at various levels; from Provincial, District and Commune levels to the grassroots such as Village levels.  In addition, JSAC supports local police capacity by providing basic training and equipment in order to improve public security and residents’ confidence in the relevant authorities.  JSAC organizes workshops for confidence building as well as for education on SALW.  In the confidence building workshop, participants from various backgrounds and positions, such as civilians, local authorities, security forces and local NGO members, together discuss regarding their own security and SALW issues and strengthen social ties within community members.  They acknowledge that all actors of various backgrounds are members of the same community, and SALW surrendering benefits to all of them including their families.  Those understanding gradually build confidence among the all actors..

Development sub-projects are offered in communities where people have surrendered all weapons.  The aim of the development assistance is not to offer incentives in exchange for weapons, but to raise the communities’ living standards, to assure the establishment of a peaceful society, and to avoid regression to a “Culture of Violence.”  Our approach is neither buyback nor exchange of weapons, but encourages people to voluntarily surrender SALW through a series of workshops to raise awareness and foster the “Culture of Peace.”  For instance, in March 2006, 2,482 cached weapons believed to be once owned by the Khmer Rouge were discovered in Samlot District, Battambang Province, thanks to a report by a participant of JSAC’s workshop at grassroots level.  Much information on hidden weapons has continuously been reported due to improved relations and the confidence built among the local population, authorities, police and JSAC.

On September 2005, the end of our 1st Phase, all Governors of the target Districts announced the “Gun-Free Declaration,” which stated that local governments would be responsible for maintaining peaceful communities without weapons.  This demonstrated that the authorities had acknowledged the value of peace, and were willing to express their commitment in maintaining this peace in their communities.  More than 26,000 SALW have been surrendered through the Weapons Reduction and Development for Peace Project so far.  This project has contributed to overcoming all demand factors mentioned earlier; improving security to remove people’s perceived needs for self protection; building capacity of and confidence in police and authorities; facilitating the “Culture of Peace” through educational workshops and the surrender of weapons; and promoting a common perception that weapons do not hold any monetary value.

The second project is the Weapons Destruction Project.  This project aims to burn and destroy weapons collected from civilians through the Weapons Reduction and Development for Peace Project as well as surplus weapons in police possession, so that they can never be used again.  Destruction ceremonies, known as the “Flame of Peace,” are held by the Government of Cambodia, and JSAC supports them.  The purpose of the destruction ceremonies is not only to make weapons physically unusable, but also to give the population a positive and symbolic image that they are moving toward peace without weapons.  The Government of Cambodia and JSAC have organized 10 destruction ceremonies and destroyed 25,444 SALW so far.  This project has contributed to improving physical security by preventing the illicit flow of SALW.

The third project is the Safe Storage and Registration Project.  This project aims to introduce the proper stockpiling system for legally possessed weapons, and build capacity of and confidence in police forces.  JSAC supports the Ministry of Interior and Provincial Police in managing secure stockpiling and computerized registration systems for their weapons.  Firstly, JSAC has supported the Provincial Police to build safe storage warehouses to store the police weapons.  As you can see on this slide, the Provincial Police only had an extremely fragile storage warehouse before JSAC support.  The numbers and types of police weapons were not recorded, and moreover, these weapons can go missing or be stolen without being noticed by anyone.  JSAC also installed racks with safety lock functions to store the police weapons in all police units, from Provincial, District and Commune Police.  Secondly, JSAC has supported the required training on weapons registration and management for police officers.  Police officers have learned not only the procedures of weapons registration and management, but also basic rules such as the law on weapons and regulations on weapons usage again.  Thirdly, Cambodian police officers visited the police in Japan, Fukui Prefecture Police, to study how the police in Japan was stockpiling and managing police weapons.  This project has contributed to establishing a safe and proper stockpiling system for weapons legally possessed by police, and preventing their illicit and uncontrolled flow to civilians’ hands.

Lessons Learned

I would like to conclude by making three recommendations acknowledged through our project implementation.

First, a comprehensive approach, which covers weapons collection, destruction and stockpile management, is essential in tackling SALW problems in affected countries.  JSAC is aiming to reduce, on the one hand, the number of illegally possessed weapons by civilians through the Weapons Reduction and Development for Peace Project, and on the other hand, to reduce dangers caused by legally possessed weapons by police through the Safe Storage and Registration Project, both at the same time.  Eventually, collected illegal and surplus legal weapons are destroyed by the Weapons Destruction Project, and they never be used again.  If a program lacks any one of the elements I have just mentioned, it may face difficulties.  As we can easily imagine, even if an organization collects illegally possessed weapons hardly and does not manage legally possessed weapons, security forces can sell their weapons to black market and people can obtain those weapons again.  In that case, the illicit circulation of weapons is never stopped.  The comprehensive approach can be a key for effective SALW program.

Second, SALW programs, especially as a part of weapons collection, should be modified in accordance with circumstances of each affected country.  In Cambodia, we try to educate people about danger and illegality of weapons in workshops, to build confidence in police and authorities, to enhance police capacity for security maintenance, and to foster the “Culture of Peace.”  I do not want to say that the Weapons Reduction and Development for Peace Project is always better than buyback and exchange projects.  Buyback projects might work in some cases, and exchange projects might be effective in other cases.  In our view, however, our approach is the most effective in the Cambodian context.  Thus, it is clear that SALW projects should take into account the background of target countries and be designed specifically for each.

Third, SALW programs, the part of peace building, need to consider more how the demand of civilians for weapons can be reduced.  SALW experts tend to think only about how to set up incentives which might work for weapons holders to leave their weapons.　I understand that adequate incentives for target civilians or communities in a specific period may be inevitable for SALW programs and produce good results.  Meanwhile, in some cases, when buyback schemes or weapons for development projects are in place, people may be led to think that holding weapons yields monetary or non-monetary benefits, and thus not surrender all of them.  However, if the “Culture of Peace” is deeply rooted among communities, people will surrender weapons more voluntarily for their own security.  While it may be naive to assume that the population will surrender all their illegal weapons after the educational workshops, it is also biased to immediately work on the assumption that people demand some of economic benefit in return.  In JSAC’s program, assisting human relations and creating an environment in favor of weapons surrender in communities have proved successful in dramatically decreasing civilians’ demands for weapons.  These kinds of activities require to stay in the field and to spend a long time together with population.  In fact, as I mentioned before, a village chief who attended a workshop subsequently showed us the location of hidden 2,482 weapons.  For him, what was important was not to receive development projects in exchange for weapons, but to enhance the public safety of his village.  If the demand factors of SALW, people’s sense of insecurity, a “Culture of Violence” and their economic value, are eliminated, a peaceful community built by the program shall be sustainable.  Although the demand factors are differentiated in each affected area, SALW programs should consider and contain countermeasures against them.

Finally, I believe the best practice of implemented projects should be further shared internationally.  If we share our lessons today and make good use of them, it will help a great deal in solving SALW problems in affected countries.

Thank you.

.