Un Small Arms Agreement
The United Nations Small Arms Agreement: Working Towards a Safer World
The proliferation and improper use of small arms and light weapons are a major threat to peace, security, and human development worldwide. These weapons are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people every year, fueling conflicts, terrorism, organized crime, and gender-based violence. To address this challenge, the United Nations has been promoting the adoption and implementation of a global Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) control regime for over two decades.
In 2001, the UN established the Program of Action to Prevent, Combat, and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in SALW in All Its Aspects, which was endorsed by all member states. This program aims to strengthen national and regional capacities to regulate legal arms transfers, prevent diversion and misuse of weapons, enhance international cooperation and assistance, and promote disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration programs. However, the program is non-binding, and many countries have not fulfilled their commitments or have even increased their arms exports and imports.
In 2013, the UN General Assembly approved a new treaty, known as the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), which seeks to regulate the international trade in conventional arms, including SALW, and prevent their transfer to actors that could use them for human rights abuses or aggression. The treaty has been ratified by 110 states, but notable absentees include the United States, Russia, China, and India, among others.
Recently, the UN has launched a new initiative, the Small Arms and Light Weapons Control (SALW) Summit, to accelerate the implementation of the Program of Action and the ATT. The summit aims to raise awareness of the SALW problem, share good practices, mobilize resources and political support, and encourage voluntary commitments from states, civil society, and the private sector.
The first SALW Summit was held in June 2018 in Geneva, Switzerland, and brought together representatives from over 100 countries, as well as NGOs, academics, and industry experts. The summit focused on four thematic areas: preventing diversion and illicit trafficking of SALW, enhancing stockpile management, ensuring responsible transfers of SALW, and strengthening international cooperation and assistance. The outcome of the summit was the adoption of a political declaration that reaffirmed the commitment of states to the Program of Action and the ATT and called for concrete actions to be taken at national, regional, and global levels.
The second SALW Summit is scheduled to take place in 2022 in Costa Rica, and its theme is “Innovative Solutions to SALW Challenges”. The summit aims to showcase innovative and successful approaches to SALW control, such as technology, data analysis, community engagement, and public-private partnerships. The summit will also provide a platform for states and stakeholders to share their progress and challenges in implementing the Program of Action and the ATT and to identify gaps and priorities for future actions.
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