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 98p The illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects, published in 2024.

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?

6 subjects

Capacity Building Groups of Experts Illicit Arms Trafficking Small Arms Technical Cooperation Trust Funds

What’s in this document?

36 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, brokering, transfer and circulation of small arms and light weapons, and that their uncontrolled proliferation in many regions of the world has a wide range of humanitarian and socioeconomic consequences and poses a serious threat to peace, reconciliation, safety, security, stability and sustainable development at the individual, local, national, regional and international levels;

Recognizes the urgent need to maintain and enhance national controls, in accordance with the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, including their diversion to illicit trade, illegal armed groups, terrorists and other unauthorized recipients, taking into account, inter alia, their adverse humanitarian and socioeconomic consequences for the affected States;

Emphasizes the need for States to redouble national efforts to provide for the safe, secure, comprehensive and effective management of stockpiles of small arms and light weapons held by Governments to prevent, combat and eradicate the diversion of those weapons;

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 (the International Tracing Instrument) by, inter alia, including in their national reports the name and contact information of the national points of contact and information on national marking practices used to indicate country of manufacture and/or country of import, as applicable;

Encourages all relevant initiatives, including those of the United Nations, other international organizations, regional and subregional organizations and civil society, for the successful implementation of the Programme of Action, 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 of 8 December 2005 to consider further steps to enhance international cooperation in preventing, combating and eradicating illicit brokering in small arms and light weapons;⁷

⁷See A/62/163 and A/62/163/Corr.1.

Endorses the outcome of the Fourth United Nations Conference to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, held in New York from 17 to 28 June 2024;

Decides, pursuant to the schedule of meetings for the period from 2024 to 2030 agreed upon at the Fourth Review Conference, to convene, in New York, a one-week biennial meeting of States in 2026 (10 meetings) and a one-week biennial meeting of States in 2028 (10 meetings), to consider key challenges and opportunities relating to the implementation of the Programme of Action and the International Tracing Instrument at the national, regional and global levels;

Also decides to convene the Fifth United Nations Conference to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (and the International Tracing Instrument) in 2030 as a two-week event, to be preceded by a preparatory committee meeting of not more than five days, in early 2030;

Underlines the importance of the full and effective implementation of the Programme of Action and the International Tracing Instrument for attaining Goal 16 and target 16.4 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;⁸

⁸Resolution 70/1.

Emphasizes the need for the equal, full, meaningful and effective participation of women in all decision-making and implementation processes relating to the Programme of Action and the International Tracing Instrument;

Encourages States to take into account recent developments in small arms and light weapons manufacturing, technology and design, in particular polymer and modular weapons, in the implementation of the Programme of Action and the International Tracing Instrument and to strengthen normative frameworks, where needed, and cooperation between law enforcement agencies so as to prevent unauthorized recipients, including criminals and terrorists, from acquiring small arms and light weapons;

Emphasizes that international cooperation and assistance remain essential to the full and effective implementation of the Programme of Action and the International Tracing Instrument, while being mindful of the need to ensure the adequacy, accessibility, effectiveness and sustainability of international cooperation and assistance measures, including, as appropriate, improved funding arrangements, technology transfer and adequate training and support programmes, as well as strong national ownership;

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, to enhance the implementation of the Programme of Action and strengthen the exchange of information on international cooperation and assistance, including experiences on completed assistance projects;

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;

Decides to establish and maintain a structured procedure within the Secretariat, starting in 2026, to process offers of and requests for assistance submitted under the Programme of Action and the International Tracing Instrument to facilitate the matching of needs and resources, as outlined in paragraph 212 of the outcome document of the Fourth Review Conference;

Requests the Secretariat to establish a dedicated funding mechanism under the trust fund for global and regional disarmament activities to receive voluntary contributions from Member States to advance international cooperation and assistance activities related to the implementation of the Programme of Action and the International Tracing Instrument, complementary to the United Nations Trust Facility Supporting Cooperation on Arms Regulation, the Saving Lives Entity fund and other existing funding mechanisms;

Encourages States to make, on a voluntary basis, increasing use of their national reports as a 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 those national reports;

Encourages States, relevant international and regional organizations and civil society with the capacity to do so to cooperate with and provide assistance to other States, upon request, in the preparation of comprehensive national reports on their implementation of the Programme of Action and the International Tracing Instrument;

Encourages States to reinforce, as necessary, cross-border cooperation at the national, subregional and regional levels in addressing the common problem of the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects, with full respect for each State’s sovereignty over its own borders;

Also encourages States to take full advantage of the benefits of cooperation with the United Nations regional centres for peace and disarmament, the World Customs Organization, the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, in accordance with their mandates and consistent with national priorities;

Encourages all efforts to build national capacity for the effective implementation of the Programme of Action, including those highlighted in the outcome document of the Third Review Conference;

Recalls its decision, in its resolution 77/71, to establish a dedicated fellowship training programme on small arms and light weapons in order to strengthen technical knowledge and expertise in areas relating to the implementation of the Programme of Action and the International Tracing Instrument, in particular in developing countries, for a duration of four weeks in-person in four regions, respectively, preceded by a preparatory self-paced online course, with the participation of 15 fellows per region, and in order to expedite the implementation of the programme, to provide the yearly financial resources necessary to ensure a sustained operationalization of this programme and urges its implementation in 2025, and requests the Secretary-General to operationalize the decision and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its eightieth session and periodically thereafter for follow-up;

Encourages States to submit, on a voluntary basis, national reports on their implementation of the Programme of Action, notes that States will submit national reports on their implementation of the International Tracing Instrument, encourages those States in a position to do so to use the reporting template made available by the Office for Disarmament Affairs of the Secretariat, and reaffirms the utility of synchronizing such reports with biennial meetings of States and review conferences as a means of increasing the submission rate and improving the utility of reports, as well as contributing substantively to meeting discussions;

Encourages States in a position to do so to provide financial assistance, through a voluntary sponsorship fund, that could be distributed, upon request, to States otherwise unable to participate in meetings on the Programme of Action;

Welcomes the establishment of the Saving Lives Entity fund to ensure sustained financing for coordinated, integrated small arms control measures in countries most affected by the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, and encourages States in a position to do so to make voluntary financial contributions to the fund;

Encourages interested States and relevant international and regional 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, including in preparation for the meetings on the Programme of Action;

Encourages civil society, industry 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;

Reaffirms the importance of States’ undertaking to identify, where applicable, groups and individuals engaged in the illegal manufacture, trade, stockpiling, transfer, possession, as well as financing for acquisition, of illicit small arms and light weapons, and take action under appropriate national law against such groups and individuals;

Requests the Secretariat to prepare a comprehensive analysis, within existing resources, of progress in the trends, challenges and opportunities related to the implementation of the Programme of Action and the International Tracing Instrument, including with regard to national frameworks, based on available credible information, including information submitted and/or provided by Member States, for presentation at the Biennial Meeting of States in 2026 for consideration and appropriate follow-up;

Also requests the Secretariat to report on support provided by the United Nations system for the implementation of the Programme of Action and the International Tracing Instrument, including experiences, best practices and lessons learned regarding the efficient use of available resources, for presentation at upcoming meetings on the Programme of Action and the International Tracing Instrument;

Decides to establish an open-ended technical expert group, convening for at least two days, and no more than three days, in 2026 and 2028, within the schedule of meetings of the Biennial Meetings of States, to develop agreed recommendations, by consensus, to ensure the full and effective implementation of the Programme of Action and the International Tracing Instrument in preventing, combating and eradicating the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in the light of developments in small arms and light weapons manufacturing, technology and design, in particular polymer and modular weapons and firearms produced using three-dimensional printing, focusing on the provision of international cooperation and assistance, as outlined in paragraphs 174 to 178 of the outcome document of the Fourth Review Conference;

Requests the Secretariat, within existing resources, to conduct a study on obliterated markings and methods for marking recovery in the context of the International Tracing Instrument and to report to the Biennial Meeting of States in 2026;

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

Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its eightieth session, under the item entitled “General and complete disarmament”, the sub-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