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

IANSA training in Papua New Guinea
Women, gender and guns

From 28 November - 1 December 2011, IANSA held a national training on Small Arms and Light Weapons in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. 13 people took part in the training

Parliamentarians promote ban on civilian possession of automatic and semi-automatic rifles
UN Small Arms Process

The Parliamentary Forum on Small Arms and Light Weapons has issued a policy statement on civilian possession of automatic and semi-automatic rifles, adopted during their board meeting in New York on 23 October this year.

Venezuela: Students march for gun control
National gun laws

Several thousand students marched in Caracas, Venezuela on 18 November, in support of programmes proposed by the government to enhance gun control.

IANSA Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) National Training, Papua New Guinea - Participant Blog
National gun laws

From 28 November – 01 December 2011, IANSA is holding a national training on Small Arms and Light Weapons in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. 13 people will be taking part in the training, and reporting on what they have discussed on this blog.

New report on arms to non-state actors
Armed violence and development

A new report by Groupe de Recherche et d`Information sur la Paix et la Sécurité (GRIP) finds that states are the main suppliers of arms, either directly or indirectly, to non-state actors.

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.