The Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 98l Illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects, published in 2008.

What other versions does this mandate have?

25 versions · 2002–2025

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/80/38

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2025	A/RES/80/38	The illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects	3,126	87%Compare
2024	A/RES/79/40	The illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects	2,994	79%Compare
2023	A/RES/78/46	The illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects	3,046	92%Compare
2022	A/RES/77/71	The illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects	3,138	76%Compare
2021	A/RES/76/232	The illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects	2,905	74%Compare

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

18 reports · 2003–2026

Year	Symbol	Title	Mandate resolution
2026	A/81/72	Assistance to States for curbing the illicit traffic in small arms and light weapons and collecting them and the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/80/38
2025	A/80/111	Assistance to States for curbing the illicit traffic in small arms and light weapons and collecting them and the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/79/40
2024	A/79/77	Assistance to States for curbing the illicit traffic in small arms and light weapons and collecting them and the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/78/46
2023	A/78/126	Assistance to States for curbing the illicit traffic in small arms and light weapons and collecting them and the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/77/71
2022	A/77/77	Assistance to States for curbing the illicit traffic in small arms and light weapons and collecting them and the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/76/232

What subjects does this mandate have?

14 subjects

Civil Society Conferences Disarmament Negotiations Groups of Experts Illicit Arms Trafficking Information Exchange International Cooperation International Instruments Non-Governmental Organizations Programme Implementation Programmes of Action Regional Organizations Resources Mobilization Small Arms

What’s in this document?

16 operative paragraphs

Encourages all initiatives, including those of the United Nations, other international organizations, regional and subregional organizations, non-governmental organizations and civil society, for the successful implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects,1 and calls upon all Member States to contribute towards the continued implementation of the Programme of Action at the national, regional and global levels;

Calls upon all States to implement the International Instrument to Enable States to Identify and Trace, in a Timely and Reliable Manner, Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons,⁷ among others, through the provision of information to the Secretary-General on the name and contact information of the national points of contact and on national marking practices related to markings used to indicate country of manufacture and/or country of import, as applicable;

⁷A/60/88 and Corr.2, annex; see also decision 60/519.

Takes note of the report submitted to the General Assembly by the Group of Governmental Experts established pursuant to resolution 60/81 to consider further steps to enhance international cooperation in preventing, combating and eradicating illicit brokering in small arms and light weapons,⁸ and encourages States to implement its recommendations;

⁸See A/62/163.

Decides that, in conformity with the follow-up to the Programme of Action, the next biennial meeting of States to consider the national, regional and global implementation of the Programme of Action shall be held from 14 to 18 July 2008, in New York;

Recalls that the meeting of States to consider the implementation of the International Instrument to Enable States to Identify and Trace, in a Timely and Reliable Manner, Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons, shall be held within the framework of the biennial meeting of States;

Encourages States to submit, well in advance of the next biennial meeting of States, national reports on their implementation of the Programme of Action and the International Instrument to Enable States to Identify and Trace, in a Timely and Reliable Manner, Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons in accordance with these instruments, and requests the Secretary-General to collate and circulate such data and information provided by States;

Also encourages States to include in their national reports, on a voluntary basis, information on their efforts to prevent, combat and eradicate illicit brokering in small arms and light weapons, as well as on their actions aimed at enhancing international cooperation for this purpose;

Calls upon States, in considering the implementation of the Programme of Action, to take full advantage of the biennial meetings of States to identify priority issues or topics of relevance in the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects and to highlight their implementation challenges and opportunities;

Underlines the fact that the issue of the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects requires concerted efforts at the national, regional and international levels to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit manufacture, transfer and circulation of small arms and light weapons and that their uncontrolled spread in many regions of the world has a wide range of humanitarian and socio-economic consequences and poses a serious threat to peace, reconciliation, safety, security, stability and sustainable development at the individual, local, national, regional and international levels;

Emphasizes the need to facilitate the implementation at the national level of the Programme of Action through the strengthening of national coordination agencies or bodies and institutional infrastructure;

Also emphasizes the fact that initiatives by the international community with respect to international cooperation and assistance remain essential and complementary to national implementation efforts, as well as to those at the regional and global levels;

Recognizes the necessity for interested States to develop effective coordination mechanisms, where they do not exist, in order to match the needs of States with existing resources to enhance the implementation of the Programme of Action and to make international cooperation and assistance more effective;

Encourages States to consider, among other mechanisms, the coherent identification of needs, priorities, national plans and programmes that may require international cooperation and assistance from States and regional and international organizations in a position to do so;

Encourages civil society and relevant organizations to strengthen their cooperation and work with States at the respective national and regional levels to achieve the implementation of the Programme of Action;

Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its sixty-third session on the implementation of the present resolution;

Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its sixty-third session the item entitled “The illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects”.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What other versions does this mandate have?

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

Table of contents