Supporting the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects

Sponsorship Programme

To ensure inclusive participation of States in the Fourth Review Conference, especially those most affected by illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons, the project sponsored twelve (12) government official (4 women and 8 men) to attend the two-week Review Conference in New York from 18-28 June 2024. The following countries were sponsored: Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nepal and Papua New Guinea.

Sponsorship Programme Flyer

Visit UNODA Meetings Place for the information on RevCon4

Pillar II

Effective national and regional implementation of the UN PoA and ITI

Upgrade of the MOSAIC assessment tool

The upgraded tool will be based on the MOSAIC modules from Series 3 on legislative and regulatory aspects and Series 5 on operation support in the context of small arms control, and will enable States to carry out self-assessments on the implementation of the UN PoA/ITI. This activity is in progress and is being implemented in close partnership with UNIDIR.

Support States to strengthen their implementation efforts of the UN PoA/ITI in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean.

This includes MOSAIC assessments and tailored assistance on the implementation of the PoA/ITI to selected states (Asia-Pacific and Africa), dedicated regional workshop focused on the role and tasks of national points of contact (Asia-Pacific), seminars/workshops in support of consolidation of a SALW roadmap for Central American States and virtual courses on Combating Trafficking in Arms and Ammunition and the Interdicting Small Arms, Ammunition and Parts and Components for South and Central America (Latin America and the Caribbean).

Africa – activities in the region are implemented by the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC)

• MOSAIC Assessments and Country Assistance Projects:
  • Burundi (9-13 December 2024) – Assessment of marking practices based on MOSAIC assessment tool and technical support for the development of the national action plan on small arms and light weapons control.
  • Gambia (27-31 January 2025) – MOSAIC assessment and technical assistance to develop the national action plan on SALW control (in progress).
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo (19-23 May 2025) – Assessment of weapons tracing practices based on MOSAIC and technical assistance to support the implementation of the national action plan on SALW control.

Asia and the Pacific – activities in the region are implemented by the United Nations Regional Center for Peace and Development in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD)

• MOSAIC Assessments and Country Assistance Projects:
  • Sri Lanka (19-23 February 2024) – In collaboration with Mines Advisory Group (MAG), construction of a container armoury and specialized training on the effective management of weapons stockpiles
  • Papua New Guinea (15-17 April 2024) – National workshop titled Designing and Implementing a Gender-Responsive, Sustainable, and Conflict-Sensitive National Action Plan (NAP) on SALW Control* and development of the first national action plan on SALW control (in progress)
  •  Nepal (3-5 September 2024) - National workshop on Global Instruments on Small Arms and Light Weapons Control
  • Cambodia (9-17 December 2024) – In collaboration with UNDP- SEESAC, study tour on SALW Control to the Western Balkans
  • Fiji (19-21 May 2025) – Technical risk assessment on weapons and ammunition practices based on MOSAIC modules and national training on SALW control

* Joint initiative with SALIENT.

Latin America and the Caribbean – implemented by the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC)

• Consolidation of a SALW Roadmap for Central American States (2022-2024)
  • In collaboration with the Organization for American States (OAS) and the Central American Integration System (SICA), UNLIREC worked to develop the Central American Road Map to Prevent the Illicit Trafficking and Proliferation of Arms and Ammunition, which was adopted in February 2025 (Read more here).
• Course on Combating Trafficking in Arms and Ammunition (CTAM)
  • Guatemala (5-9 June 2023)
  • Peru (26-29 November 2024)
  • Dominican Republic (26-29 May 2025)
  • Honduras (forthcoming in August 2025)
• Course on Interdicting Small Arms, Ammunition and Parts and Components (ISAAPC)
  • El Salvador (22-26 May 2023)
  • Colombia (20 October – 21 November 2023)

---

Pillar III

Gender-responsive SALW control policies and programmes

Activities under this pillar build on the outcomes of the previous EU-funded project supporting gender mainstreamed policies, programmes and actions in the fight against small arms trafficking and misuse, in line with the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda.

Strengthen the small arms control component in the WPS agenda

This includes UNODA’s continued engagement in the WPS Focal Points Network to promote small arms control in WPS national action plans, strategies and implementation efforts.

During RevCon4, States made strides towards gender-responsive small arms control.

Support to States to strengthen their capacity for gender-responsive small arms control policies and programmes in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean

Activities include regional workshops on gender-mainstreaming small arms control for national commissions/PoA focal points and key stakeholders and a webinar series on integrating small arms control into wider gender equality, development and security efforts (Africa); a regional workshop on harmonizing the implementation of converging agendas on small arms control and gender equality and a regional seminar on the universalization of the ATT in the Asia-Pacific region and the convergence with the WPS agenda (Asia-Pacific); training on gender-mainstreaming in small arms control in Central and South American States and a webinar series on SALW controls and gender in the lead up to the RevCon4 (Latin America and the Caribbean).

Africa:

• Webinar series:
  • ‘Integrating Gender-Responsive Actions into Small Arms Control Measures: A Review of Progress Made by Burundi, Cameroon and Sierra Leone’ (11 December 2024)
  • ‘Fostering Gender-Responsive Small Arms Control: Perspectives from the Africa Region on the UN PoA and the ATT’ co-organized with UNIDIR (8 March 2024)
  • ‘Integrating Gender Considerations into Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) processes” (7 November 2024)
  • ‘Towards Gender-Effective Arms Control to Combat Gender-Based Violence” co-organized with IANSA (5 December 2024)
  • ‘Youth, Gender and Disarmament’ hybrid event in partnership with the Institute for Strategic Studies of the University of Lome (6 December 2025)
  • ‘Women and Youth Participation in Disarmament Processes: Challenges and Opportunities’ hybrid event (19 December 2025)
  • ‘The Complex Dynamics of Small Arms and Light Weapons in Africa: 2025 Outlook’ (20 February 2025)
  • ‘Women on the Frontline of the Fight Against the Illicit Proliferation of SALW in Africa’ (13 March 2025)
  • ‘Gender, Fight Against Illicit SALW, Preventing Violent Extremisms and Countering Terrorism’ (24 April 2025)[OT1] 

Video goes here

• Strategic Regional Workshops:
  • ‘Gender Mainstreaming in Small Arms Control in Eastern Africa’(16-17 April 2025, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)
  • ‘Gender Mainstreaming in Small Arms Control in West Africa’ (6-7 August 2025, Abuja, Nigeria)
  • ‘Gender Mainstreaming in Small Arms Control in Southern Africa’ (3-4 September 2025, Johannesburg, South Africa).

Asia and the Pacific:

• Online regional briefing titled‘Gender-responsive small arms control in the Asia-Pacific region’ co-organized with UNIDIR (15 February 2024)
• Regional meeting[FT3]  titled ‘Separate Agendas, Common Objectives: Lessons Learned and Opportunities from the Progressive Harmonization of Small Arms Control and Women, Peace and Security’ (2-3 April 2025)

Latin America and the Caribbean:

• Training course on gender and small arms control based on the UNODA training manual and the virtual course on gender mainstreaming in small arms control (Council Decision (CFSP) 2018/2011)
  • Colombia (27 – 30 November 2025)
  • Guatemala (22 July – 2 August 2024)
  • Costa Rica (27-30 May 2025)

• Webinars on SALW control and Gender:
  • ‘Fostering gender-responsive arms control’ co-organized with UNIDIR (9 May 2024)
  • ‘Implementing gender-related outcomes of RevCon4’ co-organized with GENSAC Network (28 November 2024).

---