IANSA’s theme for the Global Week of Action 2024 was “A World without Gun Violence: Turning Words into Actions,” it envisioned a future where gun violence is no longer a threat to communities worldwide. It called for global solidarity, State commitment, and concrete actions to achieve disarmament, promote peacebuilding, and ensure the safety of all individuals. The GWoA emphasises the need for all stakeholders to work together to achieve tangible outcomes and taking meaningful steps forward for a world without gun violence. As part of IANSA’s project with the United Nations Office for Dis ..read more

The Fourth Review Conference of the UN Programme of Action (UNPoA) on Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (RevCon4) will be held from 18-28 June 2024. It commits all participating States to cooperate on measures that will help achieve the purpose of the UNPoA, including “to reduce the human suffering caused by the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects and to enhance the respect for life and the dignity of the human person through the promotion of a culture of peace.” This paper highlights the seven key advocacy issues identified by IANSA as priority issue ..read more

The use of private transport contractors, including for the provision of transportation, freight forwarding and charter services to ship and deliver small arms, light weapons (SALW), and their parts, components and ammunition, is not adequately covered by national legal and regulatory frameworks. Inadequate regulation of SALW transport service providers, border posts and ports encourage unscrupulous trafficking networks to divert shipments. This Fact Sheet provides recommendations regarding general obligations, national control systems, and international cooperation and assistance. The post IA ..read more

Especially since the 1990s, international transfers of SALW and ammunition have been conducted in increasingly differentiated markets. A multitude of products, buyers and suppliers around the world, including State-owned entities and large defence manufacturers, use the services of specialist intermediaries, as well as private agents and dealers. States often use brokering services for the purpose of acquiring the means of legitimate self-defence and law enforcement. However, most States have had little or no regulation of arms brokering or closely related intermediation activities of arms bro ..read more

This Briefing Paper provides selected global data and figures to highlight the massive global scale and impacts of violence and destabilization committed with small arms and light weapons (SALW) in both conflict and non-conflict settings, including the enormous economic and social costs arising from the illicit circulation, diversion, frequent misuse and inadequate regulation of such weapons and their ammunition. The huge global cost in lives and livelihoods can be gleaned by considering various estimates. In July 2023 UN Secretary General reported that: “From 2015 to 2021, an estimated 3.1 mi ..read more

The purpose of this guide is to assist IANSA network members, other non-governmental organisations, (including community organisations working at the grassroots level and organisations working at the national and regional levels) to help make our world a safer place by sharing recommendations that States should apply to better prevent the illicit proliferation, misuse and trade of small arms and light weapons (SALW). This civil society guide provides an overview of the seven key issues that IANSA has identified as needing particular attention at the Preparatory Meeting (PrepCom) and the Fourth ..read more

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence took place from 25 November until 10 December. IANSA’s theme this year was “Take Action! Stop gender-based violence now.” Small arms and light weapons (SALW) are used to perpetrate or facilitate gender-based violence (GBV). GBV involves any act of violence targeting an individual on the basis of their gender. GBV encompasses violence against people based on their perceived or real sexual orientation, gender identity or expression and sexual characteristics. This campaign aims to raise awareness of the issue of GBV and urge government offici ..read more

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the experience of the IANSA Secretariat and its network members in the delivery of the three-year project entitled “Civil society engagement in support of gender mainstreamed policies, programmes, and actions in the fight against small arms trafficking and misuse, in line with the Women, Peace and Security agenda”. The project ran from 1 July 2019 to 30 September 2022. The overarching goal of this project was to “Contribute to international peace, security, gender equality and sustainable development by enhancing the effectiveness of small ..read more

The objective of strengthening controls on the transfer of small arms and light weapons (SALW) is to ensure a more responsible trade, counter the illicit trade and prevent armed violence and conflict. To be effective SALW control is not limited to export control. Consignments of SALW as well as their ammunition, parts, and components, need to be controlled at all transfer points, including at the point of import, export, trans-shipment, and in transit. Establishing effective transfer controls beyond the point of export is particularly relevant for import-dependent states. Such states are most ..read more

This factsheet was produced with the support of the Small Arms Survey and draws from the working paper presented by Spain, Mexico and the Small Arms Survey to the Ninth Conference of States parties to the Arms Trade Treaty (CSP9), 21 – 25 August 2023, entitled “Mitigating the risk of armed violence against people on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) through the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT)”. At the last Biennial Meeting of States on the United Nations Programme of Action on small arms and light weapons (UN ..read more