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Key Aspects of Small Arms and Light Weapons Trade Controls under ECOWAS and Complimentary International Instruments (October 2024)



Since 1996 the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has deliberated on the illicit trade of small arms and light weapons (SALW) as a persistent danger to international peace, security and stability as well as means to commit crime and terrorism. Numerous exchanges have been held under the auspices of the General Assembly  with a view to understanding the illicit circulation of SALW and their use in conflicts, crime and other negative impacts on individuals, communities, States and regions. A subsequent governmental panel on the illicit trade in SALW established by the UNGA concluded that SALW proliferation and misuse leads to serious security, humanitarian and development consequences and must be effectively controlled by States individually and by working in cooperation.

This briefing paper focuses on a few of the main common standards and best practices relevant in West Africa for the control of  SALW, and their ammunition, as well as their parts and components and explosives. It analyses the synergies and complementarities inherent in the provisions of two global instruments and one sub-regional SALW control instrument focusing on West Africa. These instruments are the:

  • United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (PoA) which is the foundational political instrument on SALW control adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2001;
  • The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) (2013) which sets out international standards for the lawful transfer of conventional arms and their ammunition, parts and components and the prevention of diversion of such items; and
  • The ECOWAS Convention on small arms and Light Weapons their ammunition and other related material (2006) which is the foremost sub-regional instrument guiding SALW control efforts in West Africa.
Key Aspects of Small Arms and Light Weapons Trade Controls under ECOWAS and Complimentary International Instruments (ENG)

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