Small Arms and Light Weapons
Expected Council Action
In November, Sierra Leone will convene an open debate on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) as one of the signature events of its November Security Council presidency. Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio will chair the meeting. Officer-in-Charge of the Office of Disarmament Affairs and Deputy to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Adedeji Ebo, is the anticipated briefer.
Recent Developments
In recent years, several elected members have made SALW a priority during their Council terms. Kenya and Mexico, which both served in 2021-2022, facilitated various discussions on SALW and advocated the integration of SALW-related matters in the Council’s country-specific and thematic work.
On 5 October 2021, Kenya convened a briefing on the threat posed by the illicit flow of SALW in peace operations as one of the signature events of its Council presidency. UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu briefed the Council on the Secretary-General’s 2021 biennial report on SALW, submitted pursuant to resolution 2220 of 22 May 2015. On 22 November 2021, Mexico convened a ministerial-level open debate to discuss “The impact of the diversion and trafficking of arms on peace and security”. This open debate built on an Arria-formula meeting that Mexico convened virtually on 16 September 2021 on the threat to international peace and security posed by the illicit trade in SALW.
On 22 December 2021, the Council adopted resolution 2616, proposed by Mexico, which addressed the illicit transfer, destabilising accumulation, and diversion of arms and related materials in violation of Council-mandated arms embargoes. The resolution expressed the Council’s intention to consider whether and how the mandates of UN peace operations “could support relevant national authorities in combating the illicit transfer and diversion of arms in violation of the arms embargoes in their respective areas of operation”. It also emphasised that when the Council evaluated the possible lifting of an arms embargo, it would consider the capacity of states under the arms embargo to prevent their existing arms and ammunition stockpiles from being diverted to the illicit market.
Ecuador, which served on the Council in 2023-2024, convened an open debate on SALW during its December 2023 Council Presidency, focusing on the theme: “Addressing the threat posed by diversion, illicit trafficking and misuse of small arms and light weapons and their ammunition to peace and security”. The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the Secretary-General’s 2023 biennial report on SALW.
Among current elected members, Sierra Leone has paid special attention to arms control, disarmament, and non-proliferation due to its interest in and experience with these issues as a post-conflict country. On 4 April, Sierra Leone convened an Arria-formula meeting with a particular focus on “Small Arms Control and Weapons Management in UN Sanctions Regimes”. The objective of the meeting was to facilitate a discussion on how to enhance the effectiveness of arms embargoes imposed by UN sanctions regimes to counter the illicit flow of SALW.
Key Issues and Options
A key issue for Council members is likely to be how to enhance the effectiveness of arms embargoes imposed by UN sanctions regimes to counter the illicit flow of SALW. In convening this meeting, Sierra Leone is looking to build on the April Arria-formula meeting to have a formal discussion of this issue.
A possible option for Sierra Leone is to invite representatives from the African Union (AU) and its sub-regional mechanisms to highlight this challenge. In this regard, Sierra Leone, as well as other Council members, may want to promote the AU’s Silencing the Guns initiative, which emphasises African-led efforts to end conflicts on the continent by curbing the flow of illicit weapons. Additionally, Sierra Leone may choose to particularly focus on the proliferation of SALW in West Africa and the Sahel, which have contributed to the worsening of peace and security in the region.
Another likely issue is how the Council can encourage implementation of the Secretary-General’s biennial report on SALW, which is expected to be published in November. During the debate, members could choose to highlight specific relevant recommendations on how to address the trafficking and diversion of SALW and their impact on the implementation of arms embargoes.
Another option for the Council is to adopt a presidential statement on enhancing the effectiveness of arms embargoes to counter the illicit flow of SALW. The most recent presidential statement on SALW, which was adopted five years ago, recognised the impact and challenges posed by the illicit trade in and diversion of SALW in Africa, enabling terrorist groups to considerably increase their armed capabilities.
Council Dynamics
SALW is a priority issue for Sierra Leone in the Council, given the challenges that it poses to its own region by fueling conflict and instability across West Africa and the Sahel. Several other members are supportive of the Council’s deliberations on SALW, recognising the Council’s responsibility to address the issue as a driver of conflict. They also support integrating SALW issues into the Council’s consideration of country-specific situations and other thematic issues, including children and armed conflict; women, peace and security; climate change; and sustainable development.
On the other hand, other members tend to underscore the primary role and responsibility of national governments in handling the issue. Russia maintains that the General Assembly is the most appropriate place in the UN system for discussion of SALW issues and opposes attempts to link them to other thematic topics. It does, however, appear to be amenable to discussing SALW in relation to peacekeeping, arms embargoes, security sector reform, disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration.
The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) and the repeated call for all states to ratify and accede to the treaty are contentious issues. Among Council members, Algeria, Russia, Somalia, and the US (signed but not ratified) are not parties to the treaty, and several of these members tend to oppose references to the ATT in Council products.
Past negotiations on SALW have been controversial. Six Council members (Angola, Chad, China, Nigeria, Russia, and Venezuela) abstained on the adoption of resolution 2220 because the text did not include language critical of the transfer of SALW to non-state actors. Three Council members (China, India, and Russia) also abstained on the adoption of resolution 2616.
| Security Council Resolutions | |
| 22 December 2021S/RES/2616 | This resolution was on the illicit transfer, destabilising accumulation, and diversion of arms and related materials in violation of Council-mandated arms embargoes. |
| 22 May 2015S/RES/2220 | This was a resolution on small arms that contained new provisions aiming to strengthen UN coordination and action on small arms, promote effective implementation of UN arms embargoes and support the Arms Trade Treaty. |
| 26 September 2013S/RES/2117 | This was the first thematic resolution on small arms adopted by the Council focusing on the illicit transfer, destabilising accumulation and misuse of small arms and light weapons. |
| Security Council Presidential Statements | |
| 11 March 2020S/PRST/2020/5 | This presidential statement was adopted during a debate entitled “Countering terrorism and extremism in Africa” under the agenda item “Peace and security in Africa”, a signature event of China’s Council presidency. |
| Secretary-General’s Reports | |
| 1 November 2023S/2023/823 | This was the seventh biennial report on SALW. |
| Security Council Meeting Records | |
| 15 December 2023S/PV.9509 | This was the first-half of an open debate on small arms. |
| 15 December 2023S/PV.9509 (Resumption I) | This was the second-half of an open debate on small arms. |
