Global Facilitation Network for Security Sector Reform (GFN-SSR)

Report of the Secretary-General on small arms

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What are the negative impacts of the illicit trade in small arms on security, human rights, and socio-economic development? How can governments and international agencies stem the uncontrolled proliferation of small arms? This report of the Secretary-General for the United Nations (UN) Security Council discusses the role of small arms in contemporary conflicts, and analyses global instruments for eradicating the illicit trade in small arms.

Small arms and light weapons are the primary weapons used in contemporary interstate conflicts, civil wars, terrorism, organised crime and gang warfare. More human rights abuses are committed with them than any other weapon. However, transparency measures for small arms are poorly developed. There are no accurate figures on the numbers of small arms currently in global circulation. Small arms build-up aggravates conflicts by increasing instability and the lethality and duration of violence. Eradicating the illicit trade in small arms is increasingly difficult due to fragmented small arms production, varied sources of supply, lack of international cooperation in marking and tracing weapons, and changing patterns in trade.

Some key findings of the report are: 

• Ammunition stockpile management and control is a critical problem. There is usually no focus on ammunition in disarmament programmes and little information on global ammunition flows.
• There is no agreed format for “end-use” certification, meaning that it is hard for government agencies in transit states to assess their veracity.
• The UN’s Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (2001) is impeded by not being legally binding, lacking measurable targets, and by gaps relating to ammunition flows, operational information exchange and cooperation frameworks between member states.
• Implementation and effectiveness of Security Council Arms Embargoes has been uneven. However, the UN has improved design and monitoring as a result of experience and the incorporation of broader theory and practice of demilitarisation and security sector reform.

The dividing lines between underdevelopment, instability, fragility, crisis, conflict and war are increasingly blurred. Conflict prevention, conflict resolution, and peace building require multidimensional responses. National small arms action plans should be integrated into peacebuilding efforts, broader poverty reduction strategies and human security frameworks. Better cooperation and coordination is needed between national governments, between governments and international agencies, and within the UN system itself. Specific policy recommendations include:

• Developing quantitative indicators for small arms reduction as a basis for setting measurable goals to reduce armed violence. Baseline data, assessments and agreed targets are necessary to define the scope of the problems, develop effective projects, and monitor progress.
• Developing an international framework for authentication, reconciliation, and standardisation of end-user certificates.
• Making destruction of ammunition stockpiles a priority for peacekeeping missions and national governments. Building regulatory capacity will need urgent attention.
• Encouraging member states to use the new International Tracing Instrument and INTERPOL I-24/7 global police communications system to track and trace small arms.
• Linking arms embargo exceptions to security sector reform (SSR). Making a direct link provides an effective incentive for the success of SSR, which contributes to preventing a recurrence of conflict

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