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

Ghana: WANEP warns of arms and ammunition smuggled into the country
Border controls

In Ghana, the West Africa Network for Peace building (WANEP) has issued a security alert after 56 foreign nationals carrying significant amounts of arms and ammunition have been arrested near the Ivorian border.

The Bahamas: Police seize 212 illegal guns so far this year
Marking and tracing

Police in the Bahamas have confiscated 212 illegal guns over the first six months of this year, bringing the total number of illegal firearms seized in the last 5 years up to 1,423.

UN peacekeepers collect guns in Cote d’Ivoire
Weapons collection and destruction

The UN peacekeeping mission in Côte d’Ivoire has begun to collect small arms handed in voluntarily by militiamen in the Yopougon suburb outside Abidjan.

IANSA Women’s Network issue statement to CEDAW
Women, gender and guns

On 18 July 2011, the IANSA Women’s Network joined with other organisations to submit a written statement to the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), during the General Discussion on Women in Conflict and Post-conflict Situations held at the UN in New York.

Dominican Republic: IANSA member interviews victims of armed domestic violence
Women, gender and guns

The Caribbean Institute for the Rule of Law (ICED), an IANSA member in the Dominican Republic, has released the results of a survey on the impact of firearms in domestic violence against women.

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.