The latest SECO figures on war material exports show Despite the Corona crisis, the export business of the Swiss arms industry is flourishing. To ensure effective control of arms exports, terre des hommes schweiz is participating in the alliance of the corrective initiative and is taking a clear stand on the Federal Council's indirect counter-proposal.
From armoured vehicles and tear gas to small arms including ammunition: the international arms trade is a lucrative business and Switzerland, which prides itself on its humanitarian tradition, is an important player with its arms industry and rapidly increasing export volumes.
According to the latest half-yearly figures for 2020 from the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO, Switzerland exported war material worth CHF 501 million to 55 countries between 1.1.2020 and 30.6.2020. This represents an increase in exports of 84 percent compared with the first half of 2019, when exports were worth around CHF 273 million.
Corrective initiative against "loopholes for sensitive business"
"There is a need for greater democratic control over massively increasing arms exports", says Andrea Zellhuber from the violence prevention unit at terre des hommes schweiz. The development organisation for young people in Africa, Latin America and Switzerland is involved in the "Alliance against arms exports to countries in civil war". "We see the corrective initiative as an important opportunity to reverse the relaxation of the licensing criteria," says Andrea Zellhuber.
Since 2014, the Federal Council has been able to issue a licence for arms exports to countries provided that "there is a low risk that the war material to be exported will be used for serious human rights violations". "There are many loopholes for delicate business", says Andrea Zellhuber. terre des hommes schweiz therefore made a corresponding contribution to the consultation on the Federal Council's indirect counter-proposal for the corrective initiative.
Switzerland's responsibility
According to Andrea Zellhuber, terre des hommes schweiz is not only concerned with countries where there is civil war: "We know from our projects in countries that are heavily affected by violence, such as Brazil or South Africa: More weapons and a repressive security policy lead to a vicious circle of deadly violence." Easy access to "highly potent firearms, even from abroad, drives up the spiral of violence", she says, "Here Switzerland bears a great responsibility. It must not allow weapons to be exported to countries that systematically violate human rights".
