Pillage route: l’économie politique des barrages routiers à Walikale et Masisi (2017)
March 31, 2017French version below – version française ci-dessous Roadblocks are a ubiquitous phenomenon in Eastern Congo. In an effort to map the scope of this phenomenon as well as its significance in the political economy of conflict, IPIS has embarked on a collaboration with the Danish Institute for International Studies. The point of departure is that control over the circulation of people and valua
Arms Trade Highlights: January – February 2017
March 23, 2017On 17 January 2017, a four-year investigation by the UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO) into 30 years of bribery and corruption on a global scale (Angola, UK, United States, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Thailand…) by Rolls-Royce PLC came to an end. The investigation will continue into the conduct of individuals. The SFO entered into a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) with Rolls-Royce following appro
Arms Trade Highlights: November – December 2016
January 19, 2017In our last Arms Trade Bulletin, we reported on a Canadian-owned company (Streit Group) that had allegedly sold armoured vehicles from its UAE factory to Sudan in contravention of UN and Canadian embargoes . It was reported that the same company had also sold vehicles to South Sudan, although Streit claimed that those vehicles were not military, and the end user of the vehicles was not present on
Arms Trade Highlights: September – October 2016
November 16, 2016In Brazil two former executives of arms company Forjas Taurus are accused of diverting 8,000 small arms in 2013 to Yemen. The prosecutor claimed that the defendants committed fraud by disguising the final destination of the weapons, and also tried to hide the identity of the arms broker. The arms broker Fares Mohammed Hassan Mana’a had been put on a UN sanctions list in 2010 for violating the UN a
Annual Report 2015
August 31, 2016Download pdf or open with issuu reader http://issuu.com/ipisresearch/docs/2016_10_10_ipis_jaarverslag_2015_20
Arms Trade Highlights: July 2016
August 19, 2016The present editorial is inspired by our recent experience at a European arms control event where we witnessed German arms officials seeking to whitewash Germany’s arms export policy. The double standard revealed by said officials is exemplary of the discrepancy between words and deeds as regards national arms export controls. Although far from being the only European country that can be blamed fo
Third Party Review of the Bisie Security Report
July 19, 2016The so-called ‘Bisie Mineral Stock’ encompasses about 1,000 tons of cassiterite, extracted by artisanal miners at Bisie mines between November 2010 and June 2015. A number of bans on mining and mineral trade in this region, as well as some hesitance further down the supply chain to buy untagged minerals, meant that mineral production was not marketed, but stored in warehouses. From 2014 onwards, n
Arms Trade Highlights: May – June 2016
July 7, 2016THERE IS NO ‘MR BIG’ by Brian Johnson-Thomas Hush – Terrorists get their weapons from governments…… Every so often one or other of us gets a phone call from some excited TV documentary producer or magazine journalist wanting to do a really big number on the, presumably, secretive villain who supplies the guns and ammunition to the likes of the Islamic State and Al Quaida wherever they happen to be
Arms Trade Highlights: March – April 2016
June 1, 2016This edition of IPIS’ Arms Trade Bulletin highlights two international arms transfers that continue to create a stir in arms-related media coverage. These are namely, the Heckler & Koch arms deal with Mexico – inquiry into which has seen German journalists fall into the cross hairs of prosecuting authorities –, and the Franco-Saudi-Lebanese arms deal. Mimicking the Turkish handling of journali
Coloured gemstones in eastern DRC: Tourmaline exploitation and trade in the Kivus
May 11, 2016Responsible sourcing efforts in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to date have focused predominantly on the so-called 3TG (tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold) sector. Nevertheless, the artisanal exploitation of other minerals including semi-precious gemstones, such as tourmaline, can also make notable contributions to local livelihoods […]
Arms Trade Highlights: January – February 2016
March 16, 2016In our last editorial, we cautioned not to overlook government-approved arms transfers to unstable regions in the face of a focus on the illicit trafficking of arms used in terrorist attacks. Current events, especially surrounding arms transfers to Saudi Arabia and the situation in Yemen, confirm this concern. The conflict in Yemen continues to escalate. Various exporting countries are profiting f
Arms Trade Highlights: October – December 2015
January 20, 20162015 ended with sad news: the death of our colleague and friend, Sergio Finardi. The world has lost a brilliant arms trade and defence logistics researcher. Although publicly ignored by some, his research was freely copied by those same entities and often left uncredited. His mark on his field of expertise remains indelible. Some of the perpetrators of the 13 November Paris terrorist attacks were
Arms Trade Highlights: August – September 2015
November 5, 2015The first Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty was held in Mexico on August 24-27, 2015. Key outcomes from discussions at the Conference included the selection of Geneva as the seat of the permanent secretariat for the ATT, as well as agreement that future decisions will be made by majority vote. The International Committee of the Red Cross voiced concerns that many States continu
Arms Trade Highlights: June – July 2015
August 13, 2015Recent years have seen increasing emphasis placed on the need to eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons. Governments – and civil society generally – have recognized the trade as contributing to insecurity that has occasioned mass human displacement on a scale not seen since the end of World War Two. When cases of illicit arms trading come to light, the world is often reminded
Arms Trade Highlights: January – May 2015
June 14, 2015The landmark Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), regulating the international trade in conventional arms entered into force on 24 December 2014. With 130 State signatories and 69 ratifications to date, the Convention will see its first Conference of States Parties take place between 24 to 27 August 2015. Missing from the list of signatories are Canada, China, and Russia. Canada ‘s justification for opting ou
Annual report 2014
January 1, 2015Download in PDF or open with issuu reader http://issuu.com/ipisresearch/docs/activity_report_2014_web
The Adverse Human Rights Risks and Impacts of European Companies: Getting a glimpse of the picture
October 20, 2014This report presents the findings of a study undertaken by IPIS and commissioned by the European Coalition for Corporate Justice on the extent to which European companies are identified in concerns about adverse human rights risks and impacts. Gathering concerns raised regarding the human rights risks and impacts of companies listed on the UK’s FTSE 100, France’s CAC 40 and the German DAX 30, the
Working paper on China North Industries Group Corporation
October 14, 2014The International Peace Information Service (IPIS) and the Omega Research Foundation (Omega) have undertaken a comprehensive review of one of China’s largest state-owned companies. Norinco – known formally as China North Industries Group Corporation (CNGC) was established in 1999 and consists of at least 46 member units which then have several subordinate companies, joint ventures and associate co
Annual Report 2013 IPIS
December 31, 2013Download in pdf or open with issuu reader. http://issuu.com/ipisresearch/docs/ipisvzw_annual_report2013
Online public databases for Arms Trade Research
August 29, 2013In recent years IPIS has published several publications in collaboration with local African organisations. Such cooperation has allowed us to share know-how from over 30 years of research experience while benefitting from our partners’ networks and understanding of local issues. Although IPIS’ research assignments are often limited to a few months, we are increasingly trying to improve our working
