October 14, 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: