Work areas

The problem of small arms proliferation is multidimensional– that is why such a broad array of organisations around the world are so concerned about it. On this page you will find the latest news and resources on some of the hot topics for groups working against small arms and light weapons.

Latest news

Kenya: Illicit ammunition fuels violence
Weapons collection and destruction

A new cache of 30,000 bullets was seized by police in Narok, a town on the outskirts of Nairobi (Kenya) on 1 February 2010. The ammunition was found at the home of a man already facing charges for illegally possessing 100,000 rounds of ammunition, which were manufactured by a government-owned factory.

Tonga: Amnesty for citizens to register unlicensed weapons
Weapons collection and destruction

Tongan authorities have given holders of unlicensed firearms until 26 February to have them registered or hand them over to police. Citizens who failed to renew their licences could face heavy penalties including imprisonment.

15,992 guns recovered in Burundi
Weapons collection and destruction

15,992 arms and more than 160,000 pieces of ammunition were collected in 17 provinces of Burundi last year by the National Focal Point in collaboration with RECSA (Regional Centre on Small Arms) and civil society organisations.

Mexican weapons collection
Weapons collection and destruction

30,000 weapons have been seized in Mexico over the last two and half years according to the 2009 Mexican Atlas of Security and Defence.

DR Congo: Weapons facilitate sexual violence against women
Women, gender and guns

It is estimated that 8,000 women were raped in eastern DR Congo in 2009, the United Nations Population Fund said last week. The sexual violence has been committed mostly by armed militia and government security forces.

Latest resources

Gender, Peace and Security Update from PRIO
Women, gender and guns
The first ‘Gender, Peace and Security Update (GPS)’ for 2012 from the Peace Research Institute Oslo, features PRIO researcher and Deputy Director Inger Skjelsbæk’s new book ‘The Psychology of War Rape: Studies from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the launch of the US Peace Research Endowment'.
NGO Presentations at the PoA PrepCom, 21 March 2012
UN Small Arms Process

Representatives of civil society spoke in the afternoon plenary session of the preparatory committee (PrepCom) for the 2012 Review Conference (RevCon) on 21 March 2012.

The importance of international cooperation and assistance to improve stockpile management in Africa
Stockpile management and security, UN Small Arms Process

This article was written by Félix Kokou Aklavon, member of the International Advisory Council (IAC) and the Togolese Action Network on Small Arms (RASALT) for the Small Arms Monitor during the preparatory committee for the 2012 Review Conference on the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms (PoA).

The Arms Flyers: Commercial Aviation, Human Rights, and the Business of War and Arms
International trade controls

The report presents (Part I and Part II) a series of cases - from the 1980s to present - that illustrate and document the continuous involvement of aviation companies in the business of war, namely in the arms supply chains and also in covert operations, all of which have often resulted in consequent severe violations of human rights, from Nicaragua to Armenia, from D.R. Congo to Afghanistan and Rwanda.

What should the UN Programme of Action PrepCom 2012 Achieve?
UN Small Arms Process

The purpose of the PrepCom is to lay the groundwork for the RevCon, 27 August – 7 September 2012. The PrepCom is expected to produce a draft agenda for the RevCon i.e. which solutions to the problem of gun violence are open for discussion.