KEY FACTS AND FIGURES ON NUTRITION

The impact of stunting:

·     Globally, nearly one in four children under age 5(165 million or 26 per cent in 2011) are stunted.

·      Stunting, or low height for age, is associated with impaired brain development, which is likely to have long-lasting negative consequences throughout a child's life.

·    Recent studies from Brazil, Guatemala, India, the Philippines and South Africa confirmed the association between stunting and reduced school attendance and performance. The studies also found that stunting was a predictor of grade failure.

·         Reduced school attendance and diminished educational outcomes mean these children will earn less once they become adults. A 2007 study estimated an average 22 per cent loss of yearly income in adulthood.

·         A stunted child enters adulthood with a greater propensity for being overweightand for developing chronic diseases.

·         Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asiaare home to three quarters of the world's stunted children. In sub-Saharan Africa, 40 per cent of children under 5 are stunted; in South Asia, 39 per cent are stunted.

·         In 2011, the five countries that count the highest numbers of stunted childrenunder 5 were: India (61.7 million), Nigeria (11 million), Pakistan (9.6 million), China (8 million) and Indonesia (7.5 million).

Stunting affects the most marginalized children:

·         Beyond regional and national averages, there are disparities by wealth and area of residence.

·         Globally, one third of rural children under 5are stunted, compared to one quarter in urban areas.

·         Similarly, children under 5 in the poorest communitiesare more than twice as likely to be stunted as children under 5 in the richest communities.

Timing is essential:

·         The most crucial time to meet a child's nutritional requirements is during the 1,000 days beginning from pregnancy to the child's second birthday.

·      Evidence from 54 low- and middle-income countries indicates that growth deficiencies begin during pregnancy and continue until about 24 months of age. Catch-up growth later in childhood is minimal- the damage caused is largely irreversible.

·         Undernourished mothers have a greater chance of giving birth to low-birth-weight babiesthan adequately nourished mothers.

·         An estimated 60 to 80 per cent of neonatal deathsoccur among low-birth-weight babies.

·         In South Asia, more than 25 per cent of children are born with low birth weight.

More than just food:

·         The nutritional status of a child is influenced by three broad factors: food, health and care.

·         This status is optimized when children and mothers have access to: affordable, diverse, nutrient-rich food; appropriate maternal and childcare practices; adequate health services; and a healthy environment including safe water, sanitation and good hygiene practices.

Approaches that work:

·         Countries that have demonstrated political will and commitment to tackle malnutritionhave enjoyed great success in reducing stunting prevalence.

·         Successful direct nutrition interventions include: improving women's nutrition, especially before, during and after pregnancy; early and exclusive breastfeeding for first 6 months; timely, safe, appropriate good quality complementary feeding for 6-24 months; and adequate intake of micronutrients.

·         There are many examples of countries that have witnessed great decreases in stuntingprevalence.

§  In Peru, stunting fell by one third in just a few years - from an estimated 30 per cent of children under 5 in 2004-2006 to 20 per cent in 2011.

§  In Rwanda, in just five years (from 2005 to 2010), stunting prevalence decreased from an estimated 52 per cent of children under 5 to 44 per cent.

§  In Ethiopia, between 2000 and 2011, rates of stunting among children under 5 decreased from an estimated 57 per cent to 44 per cent.

§  In Haiti, preliminary survey results indicate that stunting prevalence fell from an estimated 29 per cent of children under 5 to 22 per cent between 2006 and 2012.

§  In Maharashtra state in India, provisional estimates suggest that the prevalence of stunting had dropped from 39 per cent of children under 5 in 2005-2006 to 23 per cent in 2012.

§  In Nepal, stunting prevalence among children under age 5 dropped from 57 per cent in 2001 to 41 per cent in 2011.

Malnutrition and child mortality:

·         One third of deaths of children under 5are attributable to undernutrition.

·         Undernutrition puts children at far greater risk of death and severe illness due to common childhood infections, such as pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria, HIV/AIDS and measles.

·         Children with severe acute malnutrition are nine times more likely to die than children who are well-nourished. Seventy five per cent of children who receive treatment can recover.

The nutritional status of the world's children

Stunting

·         The global prevalence of stunting has declined 36 per cent over the past 20 years, from an estimated 40 per cent in 1990 to 26 per cent in 2011.

·         While every region has observed reductions in stunting prevalence, the greatest declines occurred in East Asia and the Pacific. This region experienced a 70 per cent reduction since 1990, declining from 42 per cent in 1990 to 12 per cent in 2011.

Underweight

·         Globally, underweight (low weight for age) prevalence has declined, from 25 per cent in 1990 to 16 per cent today - a 37 per cent reduction.

·         An estimated 101 million children under 5 years were underweight in 2011, representing approximately 16 per cent of the world's under-5 children.

Wasting

·         Globally, 52 million children under 5are moderately or severely wasted (low weight for height), an 11 per cent decrease from an estimated 58 million in 1990.

·         Globally, more than 29 million (5 per cent) children under 5 suffer from severe wasting.

·         The highest prevalence is in South Asia, where approximately one in six children are severely or moderately wasted. The burden is highest in India, where more than 25 million children are wasted.

Low birth weight

·         More than 20 million children(an estimated 15 per cent of infants) were born with low birth weight worldwide in 2011.

·         India accounts for more than one third of the global burden.

Overweight

·         In 2011, more than two thirds of overweight children under 5 resided in low- and middle-income countries.

·         Globally, an estimated 43 million children under 5 are overweight.

Coverage of interventions

·         81 per cent of pregnant women globally have at least one antenatal visit, but the coverage of specific interventions and the quality of antenatal care varies.

·         Globally,39 per cent of infants less than 6 months old were exclusively breastfedin 2011.

·         Among 50 countries with available trend data, the majority (40 countries) have posted gains in exclusive breastfeeding rates since 1995.

·         Globally, only 60 per centof children aged 6-8 months receive solid, semi-solid or soft foods, highlighting deficiencies in the timely introduction of complementary foods.

·         Globally, between 1995 and 2005, one in three preschool-age childrenand one in six pregnant women were deficient in vitamin A due to inadequate dietary intake.

·         In most countries profiled in the report, less than 50 per cent of womenreceived adequate iron and folic acid supplementation during their pregnancy.

·         Globally, 75 per cent of householdshave adequately iodized salts, but coverage varies considerably by region.

·         An estimated 2 millionchildren under 5 were treated for severe acute malnutrition in 2011.

What is UNICEF doing?

Around the world, UNICEF is working to: build political commitment among governments and partners to reduce stunting and other forms of undernutrition; support the design and implementation of comprehensive and effective national policy and programmes based on sound situation analysis at country level; help strengthen the capacity of community workers; develop effective communication and advocacy, promote multisectoral delivery of services and supply; and provide ready-to-use therapeutic food during emergencies (27,000 metric tonnes in 2011, some 80 per cent of the global supply). The organization works with governments and partners in fivemain areas:

·         Maternal nutrition: To provide nutrition counselling and supplements, and prevent diseases. These services are delivered during antenatal visits.

·         Infant and young child feeding: To guarantee the best start in life by:

§  promotingtimely initiation ofbreastfeeding within one hour of birth andexclusive breastfeeding for the first six months;

§  ensuring timely, adequate and appropriate complementary feeding along with continued breastfeeding from six months onwards.

·         Prevention and treatment of micronutrient deficiencies: To provide Vitamin A, zinc, salt and other micronutrients to women, pregnant women and children. This improves the health of expectant mothers, the growth and development of the unborn child, and the survival and physical and mental development of children up to age 5.

·         Prevention and treatment of severe acute malnutrition: To facilitate the treatment of severe acute malnutrition in the heart of communities by qualified community health workers and to improve the delivery of ready-to-use-therapeutic food. This avoids the risk of death and minimizes complications.

·         Promotion of health, hygiene, and water and sanitationpractices:To support vaccination campaigns; to promote sanitation and hand-washing with soap; to improve access to safe drinking water; to promote the use of oral rehydration salts and therapeutic salts to treat diarrhoea; to distribute mosquito nets to prevent malaria and provide treatment; to treat pneumonia with antibiotics.

Improving Child Nutrition −The achievable imperative for global progress − UNICEF REPORT

A new UNICEF report issued on 15th April 2013 offers evidence that real progress is being made in the fight against stunted growth the hidden face of poverty for 165 million children under the age of five. The report shows that accelerated progress is both possible and necessary.

Improving Child Nutrition: The achievable imperative for global progress confirms that a key to success against stunting is focusing attention on pregnancy and the first two years of a child's life. Stunting in a child is not only about being too short for his or her age. It can also mean suffering from stunted development of the brain and cognitive capacity.

"Stunting can kill opportunities in life for a child and kill opportunities for development of a nation," said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. "Our evidence of the progress that is being achieved shows that now is the time to accelerate it."

One in four of all under-5 children globally are stunted because of chronic under nutrition in crucial periods of growth. An estimated 80 per cent of the world's stunted children live in just 14 countries.

The UNICEF report highlights successes in scaling up nutrition and improving policies, programmes and behaviour change in 11 countries: Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Nepal, Peru, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sri Lanka, Kyrgyzstan, the United Republic of Tanzania and Viet Nam.

The damage done to a child's body and brain by stunting is irreversible. It drags down performance at school and future earnings. It is an injustice often passed from generation to generation that cuts away at national development. Stunted children are also at a higher risk of dying from infectious diseases than other children.

But in parts of India home to 61 million stunted children progress is still being made. In Maharashtra, the country's wealthiest state and second most populous, 39 per cent of children under two were stunted in 2005-2006. That however dropped to 23 per cent by 2012, according to a statewide nutritional survey, largely by supporting frontline workers improving child nutrition.

In Peru, stunting fell by a third between 2006 and 2011 following a Child Malnutrition Initiative that lobbied political candidates to sign a '5 by 5 by 5' commitment to reduce stunting in children under 5 by 5 per cent in 5 years and to lessen inequities between urban and rural areas. Peru drew on its experience of successful smaller projects and integrated nutrition with other programmes. It also focused on the most disadvantaged children and women and decentralized government structures.

Ethiopia cut stunting from 57 per cent to 44 per cent and under-5 mortality from 139 deaths per 1,000 live births to 77 per 1,000 between 2000 and 2011. Key steps included a national nutrition programme, providing a safety net in the poorest areas and boosting nutrition assistance through communities.

Stunting and other forms of under nutrition are reduced through a series of simple and proven steps such as improving women's nutrition, early and exclusive breastfeeding, providing additional vitamins and minerals as well as appropriate food especially in pregnancy and the first two years of a child's life.

The report says that existing solutions and the work of new partnerships, including the Scaling Up Nutrition movement, create an unprecedented opportunity to address child under nutrition through countries accelerating progress through coordinated projects with donor support and measurable targets.

Assistance to MSMES to Compete in International Market

The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector has emerged as a highly vibrant and dynamic sector of the Indian economy over the last five decades. MSMEs not only play crucial role in providing large employment opportunities at comparatively lower capital cost than large industries but also help in industrialization of rural & backward areas, thereby,  reducing regional imbalances, assuring more equitable distribution of national income and wealth.  MSMEs are complementary to large industries as ancillary units and contribute enormously to the socio-economic development of the country. 

Fast changing global economic scenario has thrown up various opportunities and challenges to the MSMEs in India. While on the one hand, many opportunities are opened up for this sector to enhance productivity and look for new markets at national and international level, it has also, on the other hand, put an obligation to upgrade their competencies to meet the competition as new products are launched at an astonishing pace and are available world wide in short time.

To make MSMEs competitive in the international market assistance is given by the Ministry through various schemes:-

The National Manufacturing Competitiveness Programme (NMCP)

The National Manufacturing Competitiveness Programme (NMCP) is the nodal programme of the Government to develop global competitiveness among Indian MSMEs.  An amount of Rs.500 crores as the Government’s Contribution had been allocated for NMCP during XIth Plan.  NMCP targets at enhancing the entire value chain of the MSME sector through the following schemes:

•     Lean Manufacturing Competitiveness Scheme for MSMEs; 

•     Promotion of Information & Communication Tools (ICT) in MSME sector;

•     Technology and Quality Up gradation Support to MSMEs;

•     Design Clinics scheme for MSMEs;

•     Enabling Manufacturing Sector to be Competitive through Quality

•     Management Standards (QMS) and Quality Technology Tools (QTT);

•     Setting up of Mini Tool Room under PPP Mode;

•     National campaign for building awareness on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR);

•     Support for Entrepreneurial and Managerial Development of SMEs through Incubators.

Bar Code under Market Development Assistance (MDA) Scheme

There are mainly two activities under this scheme:

Bar Code - This scheme aims to encourage Micro & Small exporters in their efforts in tapping and developing overseas market, enhance exports from Micro / Small manufacturing enterprises  by popularizing the adoption of Bar Coding on a large scale. For adoption of Bar Code, the Government provides   reimbursement of 75% of one time registration fee (w.e.f.Ist January 2002) and 75% of annual fees (recurring) (w.e.f. Ist June 2007) paid to GS1 India (Formerly EAN India) by Micro & Small units for the first three years for bar code.

International Trade Fair - Under International Trade fair scheme, the Government provides 75% of air fare subsidy by economy class and 50% space rental subsidy for Micro & Small manufacturing enterprises of General category entrepreneurs. For Women/SC/ST Entrepreneurs & Entrepreneurs from North Eastern Region, 100% reimbursement of space rent and economy class air fare is provided. The subsidy is restricted to Rs.1.25 lakhs per unit.

Marketing Assistance and Technology Up gradation Scheme for MSMEs (NMCP)

 The objective of this scheme is to enhance MSME’s competitiveness in the National as well as International market through various activities such as Technology Up gradation in Packaging, Skill Up gradation/Development of Modern Market Techniques, special components for North Eastern region (Participation of MSMEs of NER in domestic exhibitions organized in other parts of the country),  New market through State/District level local exhibitions/trade fairs, Corporate Governance practices, Reimbursement to ISO-18000/22000/27000 Certification and Setting up of Marketing Hubs in the premises of selected MSME-DIs.

Cluster Development Programme

 Under the Micro & Small Enterprises – Cluster Development Programme (MSE-CDP) financial assistance is provided to Micro & Small Enterprises Clusters for Various activities including marketing assistance. This include participation of entrepreneurs in clusters in one foreign fair, benchmarking support, brochure preparation, website launching etc. to help them become competitive in the international market.

Marketing Assistance scheme of National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) 

Marketing support is provided to MSMEs to enhance their competitiveness and marketability of their products. The assistance is provided for following activities:

·         Participation in International Exhibitions / trade Fairs in foreign countries.

·       Organizing “Techmart” exhibition and international level exhibitions in India which are visited by  foreign delegations;

·       Organizing visits of delegations abroad for promoting Indian MSMEs.

Interest Subvention Scheme of Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) 

2% Interest subvention scheme available to SMEs for exports amongst other sectors has been extended till March 31, 2014.

During the calendar year 2011, the share of Indian MSME exports as a percentage of total world imports for the same products manufactured by Indian MSMEs has been provisionally estimated at 1.90%. The estimate is based on the data taken from International Trade Centre (ITC), UN COMTRADE Statistics.

 (PIB Feature)

DIVERSITY IN INDIA

Unity in Diversity

India being the largest democracy in the world with a civilization more than five thousand years old boasts of multiple cultural origins. The cultural origins of the Indian subcontinent can be traced back to the Indus Valley Civilizations, the remains of which are cherished even today. Since the late 16th century India was under the influence of the British Empire until 15th August 1947 the day when India gained independence. India is a land of diverse cultures, religions and communities. There is great diversity in our traditions, manners, habits, tastes and customs. Each and every region of the country portrays different customs and traditions. But though we speak different languages yet we are all Indians. 'Unity in Diversity' has been the distinctive feature of our culture. To live peacefully has been our motto and this motto has helped us to achieve independence. As history tells us that there has been active participation from people of different caste and religion. In our struggle for freedom people from different communities participated keeping one thing in mind that they all are Indians first. But unfortunately this peace and understanding among different communities has been endangered lately. India at present is facing many problems. The biggest of these is the problem of communalism. In their personal fight they are destroying their life only. In fact, it is the biggest threat to humanity and to the unity and integrity of the country.

People from different background and culture participated in India's struggle for freedom. The national leaders, particularly Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru, Azad and Bose had coined the slogan unity in diversity There are numerous others who were also involved. Be it Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Jain and Sikhs everybody had a single identity of being an Indian. It should be understood that all of us have multiple identities religious, linguistic, cultural, regional and caste identities. No one can claim single identity. One who demands single identity i.e. national identity does not recognize the reality but during India's struggle for freedom no one thought in that manner they just thought of India's independence. Modern India presents a picture of unity in diversity where people of different faiths and beliefs live together in peace and harmony. Still today also India remains one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world.

 Geographic Diversity

Spanning an area of 3,287,263 square kilometers, India is a vast country and includes dry desert areas, evergreen forests, snowy Himalayas, a long coast, and fertile plains.

The unique geographic demographics also hosts a unique eco-system rich with vegetation, wildlife, rare herbs, and a large variety of birds.

The Deccan Plateau -- Known as the Dravida land, the four states of South India offer a marked cultural and literary experience from that of the North.

Diversity of Religions

Virtually every major religion has a strong connection with India (including Christianity -- some people claim Jesus Christ meditated in India in his early years). Buddhism was born in India (not China), so were Sikhism, Jainism, and of course Hinduism. The Zoroastrians, the Jews (living in India since 600 B.C.), the people of Bahai faith, all are found in India in substantial numbers.

There are also numerous cults in India, each practicing their own ideologies and interpretations of the major religions.

Diversity of Languages

There is no such thing as the Indian language. By some counts there are over 200 languages in India (almost 1600, if you include dialects), with about twenty of them being very prominent ones. Imagine a nation where the population does not understand their national anthem or the President's address to the nation. That is India for you.

The Indian currency is printed in 15 languages.

Most forms (like job application, tax forms) in India are hence printed in three languages -- English, Hindi, and a prominent local language.

Diversity of Clothing and Attire

Perhaps India remains the only country where unstitched clothing is still popular. The Saree, Lungi, Dhoti, Turbans are all worn this way. It is the way of wearing it is where the styles differ.

Tailored Indian clothing includes Salwar-Kameez, collarless jackets, Kurtas, and western attires for both men and women.

Many types of headgear are prevalent in India -- these include rumals, topis, and turbans.

Diversity in Food Habits

The food habits of the one billion Indians varies by the availability of raw materials, cooking traditions, local spices, and interestingly their religious faiths. For instance, some Jain communities do not kill life to feed themselves -- including plants! This means they only consume fruits, milk and leaves only.

Many communities do not eat meats respecting the life on the animals.

Some communities define meat as "anything that moves" -- thus they consume muscles, but not fish!

Besides the staples, the spices play an important role in Indian food. There are so many spices to appeal to different parts of the body that the English language does not have adequate adjectives to describe them. For example, the hotness that touches the taste-buds is different than the hotness that makes your gums swell!

India also has a number of sweet dishes, mostly based on sugar, milk, and unbleached sugar (called jaggery in India). The Bengal is famous for its milk-based sweets.

In general Indian food is rich in oil and in spices. Rice and wheat are the primary bases for Indian food. The coastal areas fashion seafood delicacies, while the desert areas have mastered cooking with minimal use of water.

Cultural Diversity

The years of foreign rule, religious movements, and spiritual discoveries in the ancient land of India has given way to a rich potpourri of social habits, festivals, and customs. To appreciate the Indian culture, an introduction to the religious heritage of India is necessary. Please see topics on the Bhakti Movement, Hinduism, Festivals, and other Topics on the Indian Culture.

India also has a very rich native or tribal culture. See topics on the life of some of the tribes of India at the Tribals of Bastar and Children of the Forest God.

K-15 SLBM: Where does it stand?

P Arjun Subramanian

MA Scholar, Dept of East Asian Studies, University of Delhi  

The successful underwater test firing of the K-15 Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) 28 January 2013 by the DRDO is a remarkable achievement, considering that only five countries possess this capability. The missile incorporates advanced technologies, which make it a reliable nuclear delivery system. The missile is to be integrated with the Indian SSBN INS Arihant, which can reportedly carry twelve such missiles.

Technical Analysis

The missile is reported to have attained an apogee of around 40 to 50 km, which is extremely depressed. This indicates two aspects. Firstly, the actual range of the missile is much more than the declared one. The range could be further increased by payload (one metric ton) trade-off. Secondly, this missile has a high probability of penetrating any missile defence system as it has some vital combinations: speed and a low trajectory. The low trajectory helps to avoid early radar detection and also may confuse the missile defence fire control algorithm from identifying it as a threat, while the hypersonic velocity reduces the reaction time of the defence systems.

The missile is reported to have achieved very high accuracy despite being launched in a relatively depressed trajectory. The underwater test launches conducted so far were done from a submerged pontoon at a depth of 50m simulating a submarine launch, which is similar to a launch from a pre-surveyed launch site on land. The geographical data fed to the Inertial Navigation System (INS) will be very precise, the only difference being that the missile had to take into count the hydrodynamics involved until it surfaces. The same missile, when launched from a SSBN on patrol, does not enjoy this advantage. Any navigational error in the SSBN navigation system will be transferred to the missiles’ onboard guidance system. This error is bound to compound as the missile travels over long distance, degrading its Circular Error Probable (CEP). This acquired error can be reduced to some extent, if in future, a GPS aided INS is used. A point to be noted here is that an error of few tens of meters does not matter much if the payload is a nuclear warhead.

Deterrence Value

The missile is reported to have a range of 700 km when launched in the conditions under which it has been tested so far. This limited range becomes a serious constraint. For example, this missile cannot reach Islamabad or Lahore even when the boat positions itself close to the Pakistani shore. The only major city that the boat can threaten from a safe distance is the port city of Karachi.

For strikes against China, the boat has to position itself inside the first island chain to get within striking distance of Shanghai. Worse, to reach within striking distance of Beijing, it has to operate in the Yellow Sea or Bohai Sea, which is close to one of the Peoples Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) bases, which is also a base for its submarine fleet. This will be a highly risky endeavour. Hence, as a sea based deterrent, this missile has relatively very limited value. The DRDO is also developing the K-4 SLBM that reportedly will have a maximum range of 3500km, which when deployed, will enable the submarine to operate from a longer distance to be within striking distance of the target and complete the triad in the real sense. India needs three SSBN platforms to maintain 24x7 presence of at least one submarine in the waters around China.

How does the ‘Sea based deterrence’ affect Pakistan’s nuclear equation?

Pakistan, for the past few years, has been increasing its nuclear arsenal with a focus on tactical nuclear weapons with an aim to deter any major Indian conventional offensive action. But the concept of tactical nuclear strike makes little sense because India would consider it a first strike even if it is used against Indian forces inside Pakistani territory. Hence, any Pakistani first strike ought to focus on Indian nuclear forces in an attempt to cripple India’s retaliatory capability. With the induction of sea based deterrence, this option for Pakistan could be seriously weakened. This development is bound to upset Pakistani nuclear strike calculations, and might force Pakistan to improve its Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) capability.

The crucial point is whether India’s push towards deploying sea based deterrence will compel Pakistan to further increase its nuclear arsenal. Any increase in the nuclear arsenal beyond what Pakistan considers as required for minimum deterrence does not seem to serve any useful purpose, and this minimum deterrence estimation would have included the possibility of an Indian first strike. An increase would in no way be a counter to an Indian sea-based deterrent force. Besides, it will put an unnecessary burden on Pakistan’s already strained economy.

Conclusion

The K-15 is a good weapon in terms of technological sophistication. However, the missile’s range appears to be its only drawback even when launched in the minimum energy trajectory, where the range could be little above 1000 km. To have effective sea-based deterrence, the range of the delivery vehicle should at least be above 2000 km. Nevertheless, it is a good start and once effective sea based deterrence is in place, it certainly would tilt the balance in favour of India, at least within the subcontinent.

see more on http://www.ipcs.org/publications

Deciphering the UN Arms Trade Treaty

Brig (retd) Vinod Anand, Senior Fellow, VIF

The UN Arms Trade Treaty passed by the UN General Assembly in first week of April was long in coming which meant that it would be well thought out and a comprehensive document with the opposing views of all the concerned nations having been taken into account. But that was not to be so. Like many other international treaties the affected nations like India were quite critical of the approved version of the Treaty.

Though the objectives and purpose of the treaty are very noble i.e. to establish the highest possible common international standards for regulating trade in conventional arms; and to prevent and eradicate the illicit trade in conventional arms and prevent their diversion yet the measures spelt out in the treaty remain either vague or very weak and difficult to monitor and implement.

Though many African countries supported the Treaty, it was mainly the UK aided by many western nations that was instrumental in getting the Treaty approved. India objected to the treaty on various grounds with the main objection being that “the final draft falls short of our expectations and a number of other key stakeholders in producing a text that is clear, balanced and implementable and able to attract universal adherence”. Further, the treaty would not make a real impact on illicit trafficking in conventional arms and their illicit use especially by terrorists and other unauthorized and unlawful non-state actors. India also remains concerned that exporting countries would renege on their defence export contracts based on their own whims and fancies without facing any penalties by citing some of the clauses mentioned in the Treaty.

Analysing the text of the Treaty it is easy to surmise why India is so concerned with the possible outcomes of such an imbalanced treaty. In this connection a reading of Article 7 and Article 8 would reveal that the end user agreement which India has been refusing to sign with the United States for importing defence systems and weapons would become meaningless if India was to accede to the Treaty. Article 8 states that “Each importing State Party shall take measures to ensure that appropriate and relevant information is provided, upon request, pursuant to its national laws, to the exporting State Party, to assist the exporting State Party in conducting its national export assessment under Article 7. Such measures may include end use or end user documentation.”

Article 7 states that the exporting state would make an assessment before export that the arms being exported would contribute to or undermine peace and security; and whether they could be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law or international human rights law. Since the exporting state has to make the determination it would naturally be impacted upon by the geo-political and commercial aspects rather than principles enshrined in the preamble and text of the treaty.

For instance it would be kosher to supply arms to rebels/ militants say in Syria as is being done. Supplying F-16 jet fighters to Pakistan to counter its own people would also be okay as the determination has to be made by the exporting country. Not only this, the US has progressed further to give more military aid to Pakistan that has been supporting the Taliban who have killed many American and ISAF soldiers. Further, Pakistan has signed the Treaty secure in the knowledge that after all it has got away with flouting many international norms in the past and signing one more treaty would not matter very much.

There is also a clause on preventing diversion of the arms (Article 11). However, the major problem is that South Asia is awash with illicit small arms and munitions because of the left-over weapons from Afghan jihad against the Soviet Russia. India is doubly impacted since unmarked weapons possibly of Chinese origin supplied from Yunnan-Myanmar border are fuelling the Naxalite and North East insurgencies. Can such a treaty be instrumental in preventing such illegal arms transfers? Seems unlikely.

Can it be said that western nations who have dictated the dominant discourse in the conclusion of treaty will not use the treaty for their own geo-political ends? Intervention in domestic affairs of developing countries on the pretext of violation of human rights has been used by the western countries as a political tool to elicit an outcome which is favourable to them. Therefore, a selective application of the treaty by precisely some of those very nations which are in the forefront is well nigh possible. Looking back at the Non Proliferation Treaty one can draw some lessons. Scruples are always a causality as long as they don’t affect your own interests.

Moreover, the UN has to still come up with an agreed definition of a terrorist and confusion still prevails on the so oft repeated cliché of ‘one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter’. There is also no mention of non-state actors in the treaty. Countries like Pakistan have been using non-state actors as proxies and supply arms and explosives to such entities to achieve their policy objectives. Therefore, it is natural to conclude that the Treaty is not comprehensive one with many flaws.

No wonder that such a treaty has been described as unimplementable. And it does not adequately serve the objectives and purpose for which it has been framed.

See more www.vifindia.org