New data on military expenditure, small arms control in Europe and more

SIPRI Update: Global Security & Arms Control

April 2015

UPCOMING EVENTS

Small arms control in Europe: time for an integrated strategy

Although small arms control has been an issue on the humanitarian arms control agenda for a long time, small arms manufacturers and civilian consumers have enjoyed a relatively liberal market in large parts of the world. In Europe and the United States, for example, the guiding principle has been to remove barriers for law-abiding adults in good mental health to access weapons for cultural, recreational or self-defence purposes.

New SIPRI data on global military expenditure

Events at the UN in New York and at Stimson in Washington, DC
On 13 April SIPRI launched its data on global military expenditure in 2014 via traditional media channels. An event, co-hosted by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, with the sponsorship of the Permanent Mission of Japan, was held in New York, and another specialist discussion took place at the Stimson Centre in Washington, DC.

Read the Press Release, download the Fact Sheet and watch the video from the Stimson event featuring SIPRI's Dr Sam Perlo-Freeman.

2015: US leadership in the Arctic Council: What choices does the USA have?

On 24–25 April 2015, the United States assumed the next two-year chairmanship of the Arctic Council at the Council’s ministerial meeting in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada. These are difficult times for the Arctic region—and the Arctic Council in particular. After five years of dynamic development, cooperation in the Arctic region is at risk of stumbling on the geopolitical tensions between Russia and the West, writes Ekaterina Klimenko in the latest SIPRI Expert Comment.

Follow SIPRI at the Non-Proliferation Conference

At the ongoing Non-Proliferation Conference, Tariq Rauf, Director of SIPRI’s Disarmament, Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Programme, provides assessments and reports. The conference convenes at the United Nations from 27 April to 22 May. As part of its involvement with the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Conference, SIPRI has co-organized a discussion with Margot Wallström, the Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs (see recent events below).

Check out the NPT website and follow the reporting.

Looking back on 2014 at SIPRI

SIPRI's new Annual Review contains highlights from the year that was 2014, featuring our research programmes, flagship SIPRI events and publications, significant media coverage, financial information, staff facts, and an introduction by SIPRI's Director, Dr Ian Anthony.

UPCOMING EVENTS

12-13 May 2015, The Brewery Conference Centre, Stockholm
2015 Stockholm Forum on Security and Development – Promoting Sustainable Peace

SIPRI in cooperation with the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs will co-host the 2015 Stockholm Forum on Security and Development with the theme of ‘Promoting Sustainable Peace’. Among other topics, this year's invitation-only event will examine the security and development challenges posed by climate change and infectious disease in fragile countries, as well as how governments, civil society and the private sector can improve the conditions in fragile and conflict-affected states through inclusive peacebuilding, arms control, development financing and the promotion of gender equality.

Read more, and contact Ms Kate Sullivan, Coordinator of the event at SIPRI, with any questions.

20 May 2015, SIPRI Stockholm, 10.00 – 11.30

Seminar on Ukraine, NATO and Russia in an East Asian perspective

On the occasion of the visit of His Excellency Masafumi Ishii, Ambassador in charge of Public Diplomacy in Europe, SIPRI in cooperation with the Embassy of Japan will host an event on Ukraine, NATO and Russia in an East Asian perspective. Discussant is SIPRI Director Dr Ian Anthony and the event is chaired by Göran Lennmarker, Distinguished Associate Fellow and former Chairman of SIPRI.

Read the full invitation and register with Ms Cynthia Loo.

RECENT EVENTS

23 Apr. 2015, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

SIPRI, IPSS and UNECA seminar on the security activities of external actors in Africa

Following the launch of SIPRI's recently published book Security Activities of External Actors in Africa, SIPRI in cooperation with the United Nations Economic Commission in Africa (UNECA) and the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS) held a seminar in Addis Ababa on 23 April to present the findings of the SIPRI study and to gather African perspectives on the topic from regional colleagues.

Read more on the event and contact SIPRI's Senior Researcher Dr Elisabeth Sköns for further information.

27 Apr. 2015, United Nations, New York

On the opening day of the 2015 Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), at the United Nations in New York, SIPRI organized a discussion forum entitled Promoting a Successful Outcome of the 2015 NPT Review Conference with the collaboration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden.

Read a brief report of the event and contact SIPRI's Programme Director Tariq Rauf for further information.

More recent events

Beijing, 31 Mar.
SIPRI co-sponsors roundtable discussion on China–Japan relations and crisis management in the East China Sea

Vienna, 1 Apr.
SIPRI hosts workshop on the successful outcome of the 2015 NPT Review Conference

SIPRI IN THE MEDIA

>> The launch of the new SIPRI data on global military expenditure has been covered by more than 1700 media outlets worldwide. Contact SIPRI Communications Director Stephanie Blenckner for a complete report.

>> Mathieu Dûchatel comments on Chinese arms exports to South China Morning Post.

>> Siemon Wezeman comments on the shooting down of Malaysia Arlines flight MH 17 to Deutsche Welle.

>> Robert Kelley gives an interview to The Real News on the Iran nuclear agreement (video and transcript).

>> The latest SIPRI Expert Comment by Ekaterina Klimenko has been quoted in, among others, the Badische Zeitung (video and transcript).

>> More SIPRI in the media ...

LATEST PUBLICATIONS

Trends in world military expenditure, 2014

Global military expenditure in 2014 was an estimated $1776 billion, representing a marginal fall of about 0.4 per cent in real terms compared to 2013.

Total expenditure was equivalent to 2.3 per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP). This is the third consecutive year that total global military expenditure has decreased. However, the falls during the previous two years have been comparatively small; world military expenditure is still only 1.7 per cent below its 2011 peak, and it remains signiﬁcantly above the levels of the late 1980s.

SIPRI Military Expenditure Database includes newly released information on military expenditure in 2014. This Fact Sheet describes the global, regional and national trends in military expenditure that are revealed by the new data.

SIPRI Annual Review 2014

Annual Review 2014 contains highlights from SIPRI's research programme activities in 2014 as well as details of flagship SIPRI events and publications, media coverage, financial information, and staff facts and figures.

This second edition of the SIPRI Annual Review aims at telling the story of SIPRI’s activities during the past year and serves as both a reference work and a colourful snapshot of some of the exciting events that occurred during 2014.

Read the online version and contact Stephanie Blenckner for more information.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Western Arms Exports to China

The SIPRI Top 100 arms-producing and military services companies, 2013

Violence against healthcare workers in complex security environments

© SIPRI 2015. ISSN 1654-8264.
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