Background

The impacts of armed violence on social and economic development and the lack of development as a cause for armed violence are well known. A 2008 Global Burden of Armed Violence Report reviews the human and fiscal costs of war and criminal violence around the world. Unfortunately, however, the discrete effects of armed violence at the national and sub-national level in most countries are comparatively less well understood. Moreover, the international recognition of armed violence as a comprehensive 'policy' and 'programming' area only surfaced comparatively recently.

In 2006, the Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development was launched to promote better understanding of the scale and magnitude of armed violence. Specifically, the Geneva Declaration, endorsed by more than 106 states, commits to supporting 'initiatives to prevent and reduce human, social and economic costs of armed violence, to assess risks and vulnerabilities, to evaluate the effectiveness of armed violence reduction programmes, and to disseminate knowledge of best practices'. The Declaration calls upon states to strike to achieve demonstrable reductions in the global burden of armed violence and improvements in human security by 2015. Timor-Leste is a signatory of the Geneva Declaration.

ActionAid and the Small Arms Survey are undertaking an assessment to identify concrete policy-relevant entry points to prevent and reduce real and perceived armed violence in Timor-Leste. Undertaken between May 2008 and May 2009, the AusAID-supported assessment will establish a Dili-based repository of existing international and domestic data on armed violence and serve as a clearing house for information and analysis. The objective of the assessment is to provide valid and reliable policy options for the Timorese government, civil society and their partners in identifying appropriate priorities and practical strategies.