Privately Made Firearms and Other Non-Industrial Small Arms and Light Weapons: New Challenges and Perspectives

15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

Privately Made Firearms and Other Non-Industrial Small Arms and Light Weapons: New Challenges and Perspectives

Side Event · Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Monday 28 September 2026 | 15:00 - 16:00 GST | In-person and online (via Webex)

ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi, Room 2A | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

The Small Arms Survey, INTERPOL, and the World Customs Organization, in collaboration with the League of Arab States and the European Union, are pleased to invite you to a side event of the Fifteenth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, dedicated to privately made firearms and other forms of non-industrially produced small arms and light weapons.

The proliferation and diversion of privately made and other non-industrial small arms and light weapons pose a growing threat to security. Over time, this global and multifaceted phenomenon has evolved to include: rudimentary artisanal small arms; craft-produced semi-automatic and automatic weapons and counterfeits; converted ‘blank-firing’ alarm handguns, and ‘retro-converted’ deactivated, ‘acoustic expansion,’ and ‘Flobert’ weapons; small arms assembled from industrially made components (including ‘partially finished’ or ‘80%’ receivers); small arms converted to automatic fire through the use of conversion devices; and small arms and components fabricated through the use of 3D-printing and computer numerical control milling technology.

Recent research shows that small arms production outside of licensed factories affects every region of the world and that the problem appears to be growing in scale, complexity and impact as various forms of non-industrial weapons are used in crime and armed conflicts across the world. These weapons pose serious challenges to their correct identification, registration and tracing in seizures which, in turn, affect the chances of disruption and prosecution of crimes committed with such weapons.

The session forms part of a joint European Union and League of Arab States initiative to strengthen the capacity of League of Arab States member states to counter illicit small arms and light weapons, implemented by the Survey, INTERPOL, and WCO.

Speakers

Opening remarks

Maj. Dr. Exp. Eng. Mohammad Abdulla Al Shamsi, Head of the Firearms and Toolmark Section, Dubai Police, United Arab Emirates

Introductory presentations

Main types and emerging trends, presented by Dr. Nicolas Florquin, Head of Data and Analytics, Small Arms Survey
Challenges for criminal investigations and the value of information sharing, presented by Mr. William Hippert, Director of Operational Support and Analysis, INTERPOL
The impact of PMFs on illicit trafficking and challenges for border control, presented by Mr. Andrew Reynolds, Small Arms and Light Weapons Project Coordinator, WCO

Facilitated discussion and Q&A

Closing remarks

H.E. Lucie Berger, Ambassador of the European Union to the United Arab Emirates

How to Attend

In person

The session takes place in Room 2A of the ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi. Venue access requires registration for the Fifteenth UN Crime Congress. Those already registered for the Congress do not need to register again for this side event, anyone who has not yet registered can do so via Indico.

Online

Follow the session via Webex. No registration is required.