Developing Strategies and National Action Plans on Small Arms Control

Guidance provided at the Fourth Review Conference of the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons in June 2024 underscored the importance of aligning national action plans (NAPs) with sustainable development, security, and gender-responsive policies, in addition to the need for inter-agency collaboration and the inclusion of non-governmental stakeholders in small arms control efforts.

While this shift signals a transformative paradigm in small arms control—moving beyond a compliance-driven model rooted in international norms and standards toward a more integrated approach that positions arms control as a tool to advance national objectives in human security, development, and governance—it raises a critical question: how can NAPs be effectively leveraged to ensure this alignment?

Developing Strategies and National Action Plans on Small Arms Control builds on the Small Arms Survey’s extensive engagement with national authorities on small arms control, particularly in West and Central Africa, and offers practical, context-specific approaches to enhance the coherence, adaptability, and inclusivity of NAPs. It promotes multi-stakeholder engagement, based on the Survey’s observation that both inter-agency collaboration and partnership with civil society actors are necessary to align small arms control with public policy objectives, and ensure effective resource allocation for implementation.