114 UNITED NATIONS AT A GLANCE
Disarmament Disarmament is often linked to weapons of mass destruction, such as nuclear warheads and chemical and biological weapons, but it goes further that that. In today’s world, most of the arms used are small and light and can be wielded by an individual or a group of two or three people. Disarmament also comprises efforts to reduce the number of these smaller, and therefore more easily transportable, weapons.
The impact of armed violence Armed violence—the intentional, threatened or actual use of weapons to inflict injury or death—takes many forms, from political to criminal to interpersonal, and appears in a wide range of contexts. Armed violence does not just happen in areas of conflict. It is widespread, and every region of the world is affected. It imposes a tremendous emotional and economic burden on individuals, families and communities worldwide. Across all affected societies, young males, at the peak of their productive lives, are the most common perpetrators, as well as immediate victims, of armed attacks. Women, pre-adolescent boys and girls also suffer as both direct and indirect victims of armed violence. It is estimated that roughly 750,000 people die each year as a result of the violence associated with armed conflicts and large- and small-scale criminality. Two thirds of these deaths occur outside war zones. In addition, as many as seven million people (about 10 times the number of those killed) are injured each year, with victims often suffering permanent disabilities and living with profound psychological as well as physical scars. Armed violence not only destroys lives; it also has a negative effect on the economy, damaging infrastructure and property; limiting the delivery of public services; undermining investment in human, social and economic capital; and contributing to unproductive expenditures on security services. It is both a domestic and international security concern, because of trafficking and major population displacements. And let’s not forget that it undermines development and constitutes an impediment to the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.