This Action, supported by the European Science Foundation, aims to better integrate and coordinate European research into issues associated with small arms and light weapons. More information about COST Actions can be found on the Council of the European Union website here, and on the COST webpage here. COST's rules and procedures are available here.
The Action funds a series of meetings, workshops and scholarly visits (though not salary costs). Researchers can participate once their government has signed the action. Currently, the Action includes the following countries:
Please download the original Memorandum of Understanding (which contains an overview of the Action’s proposed activities). The Action is is organised by a Management Committee, and structured into three working groups:
- methodology
- transfers
- armed violence.
At the third Management Committee meeting, the Chairman presented an annual progress reportto the COST Science Officer for Social Sciences and Humanities, which mainly outlines the Action’s objectives, participation, coordination, and results for its first year of existence.
The fifth Management Committee endorsed a progress report produced by the Action's Chair.
COST Action A25 meetings in 2004:
Brussels, COST Office, 12 January, First Management Committee Meeting.
[Download the First Management Committee meeting minutes here.]
Oslo, PRIO / NISAT, 4 June, WG 2 Meeting on the EU Code of Conduct
[Download Oslo meeting minutes here.]
Utrecht, Pax Christi Netherlands, 29 June, WG 2 Meeting on trafficking and brokering. [Download Utrecht meeting minutes here.]
Bradford, CICS, 24 & 5 September, WG 1 & 3 Meeting on small arms, development, and armed violence. [Download Bradford meeting minutes here.]
Brussels, COST Office, 21 October, Second Management Committee meeting.
[Download the Second Management Committee meeting minutes here.]
Brussels, GRIP, 22 October, Conference on the production, marking, and tracing of small arms. [Download Brussels Conference minutes here.]
Barcelona, UAB / ECP, 29 October, WG 2 Meeting on developing a common understanding of the EU Code of Conduct’s criteria.
[Download Barcelona meeting minutes here]
COST Action A25 meetings in 2005
Geneva, Small Arms Survey, 14 March, Third Management Committee meeting. [Download the Third Management Committee meeting minutes here]
Geneva, Small Arms Survey,15 March, WG 1 & 3 Meeting on European crime data and firearms violence.
[Download Geneva meeting agenda, list of participants, and minutes]
[Download the presentations: Catherine Barber- HSPH; Doris Ma Fat- WHO; Jerry Tate - Interpol; Hidde Toet- ECSI; Martin Killias- ICDP; John van Kesteren - UNICRI; Anna Alvazzi del Frate- UNODC]
The Hague, Pax Christi Netherlands, 30 & 31 May, Workshop " When the States Fails, Community Responses to Armed Violence". [Workshop presentations are available on CD only]
Sofia, Saferworld/CSD, 5 & 6 October, WG 1 & 2 Meeting on Transparency and Arms Research. [Download Sofia meeting minutes here]
Bradford, Bradford University/ UAB, 28 & 29 October, WG 1 & 3 Meeting on SALW after Conflict [Download Bradford meeting minutes here]
Bonn, BICC/ PRIO, 16 November, Fourth Management Committee Meeting [Download the Fourth Management Committee meeting minutes here]
Bonn, BICC, 17 & 18 November, WG1 & 3 Meeting on "Gun Culture(s)"
[Download Bonn meeting minutes here]
COST Action A25 activities in 2006Bonn, BICC, 8th February, Fifth Management Committee Meeting. [Download the meeting notes here].
Bonn, BICC, 9 & 10 February, Working Group 3 Meeting on the role of armed private security actors in armed violence. [Download the presentations by Gounev; Jackson; Boshoff; and Isenberg] [Download the meeting notes here]
Geneva, SAS, 17 February, Working Group 1 Meeting on methodologies used by researchers to estimate numbers of armed conflict deaths.
Forthcoming activities
Helsinki, in association with IPPNW, 8 September. The Working Group three meeting on morbidity and will be held in conjunction with the IPPNW World Conference.
Stockholm, SIPRI, Working Group 2 Meeting on Transparency. Provisional for late September or early October. This meeting may be held in conjunction with a Management Committee meeting.
Oslo, PRIO, Workshop "Building policy and strategic coherence for the integration small arms violence into development cooperation" (provisional September).
