The link between the spread of illicit arms and armed conflict seems clear: without arms, there would be no armed conflict. The United Nations acknowledges in principle that conventional arms control tools can aid in conflict management. Yet structural, political and capacity challenges – plus a sometimes limited awareness among Member States about these tools – often stifle their application in practice. Much more can be done to address some of these challenges, to take greater advantage of emergent opportunities, and to further deepen understanding of how such conventional arms control tools can contribute to peace and security.
To help address this gap, this report assesses the perspectives of members of the United Nations Security Council on the value and use of conventional arms control tools for preventing and mitigating conflict and other forms of armed violence. It describes several principal challenges facing the Council as well as promising avenues for Council members and other interested parties to better understand how practical arms control tools can enhance the UN’s mission of conflict prevention, management and resolution. The report includes a number of concrete recommendations and pathways for incoming and serving Security Council members and United Nations entities to strengthen conventional arms control in the Council’s work.
Citation: Bates Gill, Examining the Security Council’s Use of Conventional Arms Control (Geneva: UNIDIR, 2026). https://doi.org/10.37559/CWP/26/WAM/09.