International flows of small arms and light weapons (SALW) fuel conflict, crime and terrorism, and undermine sustainable peace, security and development efforts. In the summer of 2001, United Nations Member States adopted the Programme of Action on Small Arms (PoA) and the Firearms Protocol to strengthen life-cycle control of SALW and counter diversion and illicit trafficking. These UN instruments, and the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) and regional SALW control instruments, require or request that States provide data and information on authorised SALW transfers, illicit SALW flows, and national transfer control systems.
This report reviews official State data and information provided under the ATT, the Firearms Protocol and the PoA to assess the utility of UN reporting mechanisms for monitoring SALW flows and identifying risks, gaps and effective practices to counter the illicit SALW trade and reduce its negative impacts. It recommends that the United Nations system and interested stakeholders:
- Address the data deficit on SALW flows and transfer controls
- Facilitate the sharing of useful information
- Promote the use of information to prevent conflict, armed violence and human suffering.
Citation: Hardy Giezendanner, Lara Maria Guedes Gonçalves Costa, Paul Holtom, and Paula Soumaya Domit. Small Arms and Light Weapons Flows and Transfer Controls. Geneva: UNIDIR, 2026. https://doi.org/10.37559/CWP/26/WAM/07.