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 89z Illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects, published in 2009.

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?

16 subjects

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

What’s in this document?

22 operative paragraphs

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;

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;

Encourages States to implement the recommendations contained in the report of 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;⁵

⁵See A/62/163 and Corr.1.

Endorses the report adopted at the third biennial meeting of States to consider the implementation of the Programme of Action, and encourages all States to implement the measures highlighted in the section of the report entitled “The way forward”;⁶

⁶See A/CONF.192/BMS/2008/3.

Encourages all efforts to build national capacity for the effective implementation of the Programme of Action, including those highlighted in the report of the third biennial meeting of States;

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 in New York for a period of one week, no later than in 2010;

Also decides that the meeting of States to consider the implementation of the International Tracing Instrument2 shall be held within the framework of the biennial meeting of States;

Encourages States to submit their national reports, to the extent possible, by the end of 2009, and for those in a position to do so to use the reporting template prepared by the United Nations Development Programme, and to include therein information on progress made in the implementation of the measures highlighted in the report of the third biennial meeting of States;

Calls upon all States to implement the International Tracing Instrument by, inter alia, including in their national reports information 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;

Encourages States, on a voluntary basis, to make increasing use of their national reports as another tool for communicating assistance needs and information on the resources and mechanisms available to address such needs, and encourages States in a position to render such assistance to make use of these national reports;

Stresses the importance of the early designation of the Chair, and encourages the regional group which will designate the Chair of the fourth biennial meeting of States to nominate the Chair-designate by October 2009;

Encourages States to identify, in cooperation with the Chair-designate, well in advance of the fourth biennial meeting of States, priority issues or topics of relevance in the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects, including their implementation challenges and opportunities, as well as any follow-up to the third biennial meeting of States;

Decides to convene an open-ended meeting of governmental experts for a period of one week, no later than in 2011, to address key implementation challenges and opportunities relating to particular issues and themes, including international cooperation and assistance;

Also decides to convene a conference to review progress made in implementation of the Programme of Action, for a period of two weeks in New York, no later than in 2012;

Encourages interested States and international, regional and other relevant organizations in a position to do so, to convene regional meetings to consider and advance the implementation of the Programme of Action as well as the International Tracing Instrument;

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-fourth session on the implementation of the present resolution;

Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its sixty-fourth 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?

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