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	Nine out of ten violent deaths occur outside conflicts by Small Arms Survey Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Developmen   Nov 2011   An estimated 526,000 people die violently every year, but only 55,000 of them lose their lives in conflict or as a result of terrorism, reveals a report which says 396,000 people are victims of murder, 54,000 die as a result of manslaughter, and 21,000 violent deaths occur during law enforcement actions.   An estimated 526,000 people die violently every year, but only 55,000 of them lose their lives in conflict or as a result of terrorism, reveals the second edition of the Global Burden of Armed Violence, released on 27 October 2011 in Geneva.   The report also finds that 396,000 people—including 66,000 women—are victims of intentional homicide (murder), 54,000 die as a result of so-called ‘unintentional’ homicides (manslaughter), and 21,000 violent deaths occur during law enforcement actions.   The Global Burden of Armed Violence is based on a comprehensive database that covers violent deaths across both conflict and non-conflict settings.   ‘The boundaries between political, criminal, and interpersonal violence violence have become increasingly blurred, as revealed in cases of killings associated with drug trafficking in Central America or of pirates engaging in economically-motivated violence in Somalia,’ said Keith Krause, one of the editors and authors of the report.   ‘This research presets a wider view encompassing deaths from armed violence in all contexts, including crime and gang-related violence, including conflict, and including gender-related violence,’ he said.   The report provides a unique integrated approach to understanding the global impact of lethal violence. As an independent monitoring instrument, it supports the implementation of the Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development in developing solid and evidence-based answers to the challenges of armed violence.   ‘The Global Burden of Armed Violence 2011 provides policy-makers and other stakeholders with a timely tool for responding to evidence in designing policies and programmes at the local, national, and regional levels,’ said Peter Maurer, State Secretary of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.   The Global Burden of Armed Violence calculates that the average annual violent death rate between 2004 and 2009 was 7.9 per 100,000 population. At least 58 countries exhibit violent death rates above 10.0 per 100,000, accounting for almost two-thirds of all violent deaths—or 285,000 individuals killed annually.   One-quarter of all violent deaths occur in just 14 countries with average annual violent death rates above 30.0 per 100,000, half of which are in the Americas. Although wars dominate media headlines, the levels of armed violence in some non-conflict countries resemble those of conflict zones. In an average year between 2004 and 2009, more people per capita were killed in El Salvador than in Iraq.   Lethal violence is unevenly distributed not only across countries, but also within them. In Mexico, the national violent death rate in 2009 stood at 18.4 per 100,000. In contrast, Ciudad Juarez in the northern part of the country experienced a rate of 170.4 per 100,000 in the same year—more than 20 times the global rate.   The Global Burden of Armed Violence also links lethal violence to underdevelopment.   ‘States with high levels of lethal violence almost always struggle to achieve the Millennium Development Goals,’ said Keith Krause. ‘And we also know that when a country makes progress in terms of development, it is likely to exhibit decreasing levels of lethal violence.’   Echoing the results of a growing body of research, the report also confirms that countries with low levels of income inequality and unemployment experience lower levels of homicide.   The Global Burden of Armed Violence 2011 also reveals that: El Salvador was the country most affected by lethal violence in 2004–09, followed by Iraq and Jamaica.   Central and Southern Africa, Central America and the Caribbean, and South America are the regions that exhibit the highest levels of lethal violence.   About 66,000 women and girls are violently killed around the world each year. High levels of ‘femicide’ are frequently accompanied—and in some cases generated by—a high level of tolerance for violence against women.   Intimate partner and family-related homicides represent a high proportion of homicides in some countries in Europe and Asia. In countries with low homicide rates the percentages of male and female victims are similar.   Homicide rates related to robbery or theft tend to be higher in countries with greater income inequality, including in the Americas.   The relative weakness of rule of law in a country is linked with higher overall homicide rates. Yet particular challenges—such as gang activity, a history of conflict, or a high level of income inequality—may lead to high homicide rates even in societies with comparatively strong institutions and rule of law.   * The Global Burden of Armed Violence: Lethal Encounters is a product of the Geneva Declaration Secretariat. The Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development, endorsed by more than 100 countries, calls upon states to achieve measurable reductions in the global burden of armed violence and tangible improvements in human security by 2015. Visit the related web page
	The need to boost protection of civilians in armed conflict by United Nations News   November 2011   United Nations officials have stressed the need to do more to protect civilians who are increasingly bearing the brunt of the various conflicts taking place around the world, as well as enhance accountability to hold perpetrators to account.   “All of us share a fundamental responsibility to do more to protect civilians caught up in the horrors of war,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in remarks to the Security Council.   He noted that in conflicts worldwide, women, girls, boys and men continue to be subjected to blatant and frequent violation of international human rights and humanitarian law, including killing, torture, kidnapping, rape and mutilation.   “Let us remember that civilians suffer such horrors not because they are in the wrong place at the wrong time and become what is still euphemistically referred to as ‘collateral damage.’ Civilians suffer more and more frequently because they are deliberately targeted,” said Mr. Ban.   While protection is essential, the Secretary-General added, it is important not to lose sight of the need to address the causes of conflict, not just its symptoms. “Humanitarian actors can contribute to the survival of affected populations. Ultimately, though, only political solutions can end and prevent the vast majority of conflicts and ensure the safety and well-being of those who would otherwise bear the brunt,” he stated.   High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, stressed that where national authorities fail to investigate credible allegations of the most serious violations, it is incumbent on the international community to “rigorously establish the facts.”   Over the last two decades, the High Commissioner’s office (OHCHR) has supported more than 30 commissions of inquiry and similar mechanisms, which she said provide a solid basis to inform international action and national processes on justice, truth and reconciliation. She encouraged the Council to play a more active role in securing follow-up to their recommendations.   The Council also has an important role to play in ensuring practical arrangements to secure accountability, the establishment of facts, the identification and prosecution of perpetrators, and, importantly, the right to reparation for gross violations of human rights, she added. “Without it, impunity emboldens perpetrators and breeds more violations that will undermine peace and progress,” said Ms. Pillay.   The High Commissioner touched on a number of situations around the world, ranging from civilian deaths in Afghanistan to ongoing violent clashes in South Sudan. She voiced concern that the killing of civilians has not stopped in Syria, where the death toll since March has now passed 3,500.   “The international community must insist that the Syrian Government end the killing of civilians, release all those arbitrarily detained for their peaceful protest and provide full and unimpeded access to the International Commission of Inquiry, which was established by the Human Rights Council,” she stated.   Catherine Bragg, the Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, also voiced concern at events in Syria, where the situation falls short of armed conflict but military operations are exacting a “heavy toll.” She also described an array of other situations where violations of humanitarian and human rights law are being perpetuated.   “Equally common to most of these situations is a failure to hold accountable those responsible for such violations and to provide any form of justice or redress for their victims,” she said.   “This failure of accountability has to end,” she stated. “We cannot continue to ignore war crimes and serious violations of human rights law in conflict. Nor can we ignore the need to ensure that victims see justice and reparations for the wrongs they have suffered…“We must do more to advance the protection of civilians and ensure progress where it most matters – in the midst of conflict.” Visit the related web page
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