Small Arms Proliferation: UN Security Council Briefing on Conflict, Crime, and Socioeconomic Toll

Global Small Arms Landscape

• 💡 Over 1 billion firearms are in circulation globally, acting as both a symptom and driver of multiple security crises.
• 🌍 The continued proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW) has far-reaching consequences, underscoring the urgent need for action.

Illicit Trade and Diversion

• ⚠️ Persistent violations of arms embargoes in Libya, Yemen, and Haiti arm criminal groups and terrorist networks, facilitated by weak borders and illicit digital activities.
• 🛠️ There is a rise in illicitly manufactured and craft-produced arms, including an increase in 3D-printed firearms in illicit markets across Western Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
• 📈 In Haiti, massive trafficking of illegal weapons fuels insecurity and allows criminal groups to challenge state authority.

Devastating Human and Socioeconomic Costs

• 🩸 In 2024, at least 48,000 conflict-related civilian deaths were recorded, a 40% increase from the previous year, with small arms contributing significantly.
• 💔 Between 2022 and 2024, 88% of documented conflict-related sexual violence involved the use of firearms.
• 📉 Small arms violence disrupts education and healthcare, undermining sustainable development, while global military expenditure has surged to $2.7 trillion in 2024.

Strategies for Turning the Tide

• 🔑 Prioritizing comprehensive weapons and ammunition management across the entire lifecycle is crucial, from manufacture to disposal.
• 🔍 Enhancing national capacities, secure stockpile management, marking and tracing systems, and border controls are vital steps.
• 🤝 The Security Council must systematically integrate SALW considerations into its mandates, including peace operations and Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) processes.
• 🌱 Advancing gender-responsive arms control and meaningfully including young people in prevention efforts are essential for sustainable peace.