Ban calls for action against small arms

UNITED NATIONS, April 24 (UPI) -- The United Nations released a report in New York calling for increased efforts around the world to crack down on small-arms proliferation.

The report, by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, says that the cheap and easily concealable weapons are immensely lethal and aggravate conflicts. Ban said most conflicts being fought in the world's most unstable regions are being waged by militants using small arms. He called for measures to encourage disarmament though increased sharing of data on small arms and more governmental transparency, the United Nations reported.

"While a buildup of small arms alone may not create the conflicts in which they are used, their excessive accumulation and universal availability tends to aggravate conflicts by increasing the lethality and duration of violence," Ban wrote in the report.

"Small arms facilitate a vast spectrum of human rights violations. More human rights abuses are committed with them than with any other weapons. The lack of progress in curbing small arms is partially a result of limited data, coordination and capacity. Without more transparency on the part of governments, in particular in the field of trade in small arms and ammunition, it is difficult to assess where gaps exist."