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

Mexico: 16 teenagers shot dead
Border controls

Sixteen teenagers and young adults were shot dead at a high school student party in Ciudad Juarez (Mexico), just across the border from the US. Armed men broke into the party and fired indiscriminately.

Child abuse and guns in Eastern Caribbean
Children and armed violence

A study carried out by UNICEF in six Eastern Caribbean countries (Anguilla, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat and Saint Kitts and Nevis) explores the perceptions of child sexual abuse, attitudes towards the perpetrators and actions to prevent the abuse. The study details cases in which guns were used to physically threaten children or make them keep silent about the abuse.

US: Campaigners ask Starbucks to keep guns out of its coffee shops
National gun laws

IANSA members in the US are asking Starbucks coffee shops to ban people from carrying guns in their cafés.

UN: New champion for women in conflict
UN Small Arms Process, Women, gender and guns

IANSA Women’s Network has welcomed the appointment of Margot Wallström as the new United Nations Special Representative for sexual violence in conflict, as requested in Security Council Resolution 1888 on Women, Peace and Security.

Spain: Seminar on women and peacebuilding
UN Small Arms Process, Women, gender and guns

A seminar on UN SCR 1325 and the role of women in peacebuilding was held in Madrid (Spain) on 2 February. Over 200 people attended the event, which explored the main achievements and challenges facing the implementation of the Resolution.

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.