STOCKHOLM INTERNATIONAL
PEACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
The independent resource on global security

SIPRI Fact Sheets

Reporting to the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms

The key international mechanism for states to report on international arms transfers is the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms (UNROCA). UNROCA was established to build confidence and cooperation between states. The information provided by states to UNROCA is used in analyses of states’ intentions and capabilities and in bilateral or regional consultations to help avoid misinterpretations, miscalcu­lations and the exaggeration of threats that can influence arms races and armed conflicts. In recent years there has been a dramatic decline in levels of reporting to UNROCA.

National Reports on Arms Exports

Since the early 1990s an increasing number of governments have chosen to publish national reports on their arms exports. These reports vary enormously in both the amount of information they contain and the level of detail they provide. This Fact Sheet compares the level of detail provided in national reports on arms exports produced worldwide.

About the authors

Henning Weber (Germany) is a Research Assistant

International Transfers of Combat Aircraft, 2005–2009

Stories like the United State's planned sale of combat aircraft to Saudi Arabia, Israel's and Canada's selection of the US Joint Strike Fighter, and ongoing competition for large orders from India and Brazil are making headlines in the media.
 
This SIPRI Fact Sheet shows that combat aircraft together with related weapons and components accounted for one-third of worldwide arms transfers in the past five years and highlights concerns about the economic and security consequences of these transfers.
 

Military Spending and Arms Procurement in the Gulf States

In September 2010 it was reported that Saudi Arabia had sought the US Government’s permission to purchase large numbers of combat aircraft and helicopters from US companies. This was just the latest indication that Saudi Arabia is planning a new arms-purchasing spree similar to that in the 1990s, raising questions about the possible impacts of military build-ups in the Gulf region, which includes both Iran and Iraq alongside the Arab states of the Gulf. Transparency is poor in most of the Gulf region.

Multilateral Peace Operations: Africa, 2009

This SIPRI Fact Sheet presents data from the SIPRI Multilateral Peace Operations Database to illuminate some of the most significant developments in peace operations in Africa in 2009 as well as trends over the decade since 2000. It includes statistical data on numbers and type of peacekeeping personnel, the organizations and countries mounting operations and deploying personnel, along with maps of peace operations that were active during 2009.

Chronology of Armaments, Disarmament and International Security 2009

This chronology lists the significant events in 2009 related to armaments, disarmament and international security. In addition to the headline-grabbing events, such as the end of the conflict in Sri Lanka and North Korea’s nuclear test, it also records the less publicized, but no less important, advances and setbacks in arms controls and international security.

Subscribe to SIPRI Fact Sheets