Especially in the aftermath of armed conflict, the availability of and access to weapons can greatly intensify existing conflicts. When armed conflict ends, citizens often experience insecurity, especially as the rule of law and security sector institutions are in the process of being (re-)established and trust in institutions is usually absent. Consequently, citizens often acquire or retain small arms for self-defence in anticipation of potential violence, an action which itself may lead to a rapid return to violence, as well as fuelling criminal and terrorist activities. Thus, establishing effective control over small arms (including their stockpiles) in post-conflict settings is crucial for fostering peace and security in these contexts and beyond.
Considerable progress has been made since the issue of small arms and light weapons appeared on the international community’s agenda in the 1990s. The adoption and implementation of several regional agreements represent significant advancements. At the UN level, a number of important instruments, such as the Firearms Protocol, the UN Programme of Action and the Arms Trade Treaty, have been developed to address the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. The basic idea behind these international initiatives is to stop deadly weapons ending up in the wrong hands. Initially, these instruments mainly focused on combatting the illicit manufacturing and trafficking of small arms and light weapons in an attempt to prevent non-state actors, such as insurgents, rebel groups, terrorists or criminals, from accessing these weapons. Less international policy attention has traditionally been given to preventing authorised transfers of small arms and light weapons that might have negative humanitarian consequences in the recipient country.
Experience in the EU has shown that despite the adoption of ethical norms, economic and geopolitical interests may jeopardise responsible behaviour of states. While the EU has adopted one of the most developed arms export control systems in the world, several EU member states continue to authorise the export of SALW to countries engaged in armed conflict and to conflict-prone regions.
The uncontrolled proliferation of small arms and light weapons is globally acknowledged as a serious threat to peace, security and sustainable development. In recent decades, many international, EU and regional instruments were developed to prevent these very lethal weapons ending up in the wrong hands. We can conclude that while much progress has been made in some areas, a number of key challenges remain and these need to be dealt with in order to tackle the uncontrolled proliferation of small arms and light weapons and contribute to a more peaceful global society.
Relevant websites and further reading on specific issues
UN Programme of Action on small arms and its International Tracing Instrument
EU Arms Export Control – Arms Trade Treaty
COARM Database on Arms Exports
Relevant research organisations
Further reading
Acheson, R., (2020), Gender-based Violence and the Arms Trade, Special Section: Arms Trade Treaty and the Responsibility to Protect.
Armament Research Services (2022): The ARES Arms and Munitions Classification System. Edited by Jenzen-Jones, N.R.
Conflict Armament Research (2016), Investigating cross-border weapon transfers in the Sahel, London: Conflict Armament Research.
Conflict Armament (2024), After the Caliphate: Islamic State weapons in high-profile operations in North-East Syria, London: Conflict Armament Research.
Duquet, N. et al (2019), Armed to kill: A comprehensive analysis of the guns used in public mass shootings in Europe between 2009 and 2018, Brussels: Flemish Peace Institute.
Duquet, N. (2019), The 2019 EU SALW Strategy: Towards an integrated and comprehensive approach, EU Non-Proliferation Consortium, Non-Proliferation Papers, No.62.
Florquin, N., et al. (2020), Trade Update 2020 – An Eye on Ammunition Transfers to Africa, Small Arms Survey.
Holtom, P. & Pavesi I. (2018), Trade Update 2018: Sub-Saharan Africa in Focus, Geneva: Small Arms Survey.
Krause, K. (2010), “Small Arms”, in Burgess (J.P.) (ed.), The Routledge Handbook of New Security Studies, London: Routledge Handbooks, 27-38.
Saferworld (2016), Implementing the ATT: Essential elements of an effective arms transfer control system, London: Saferworld.
UNIDIR (2018), The International Tracing Instrument: Examining options to support operationalization, Geneva: UNIDIR.
Footnotes
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Grand-Clément, S./Cops, D 2023 : “Technologies to counter the diversion of small arms and light weapons, and components of conventional weapons”, Flemish Peace Institute and UNIDIR. ↩