While the threat of weapons of mass destruction looms large, we continue to see the devastating impact of conventional arms across regions. From fuelling conflict and organized crime, to facilitating sexual and gender-based violence, the consequences of unregulated and illicit conventional weapons are felt every day.
Developments and trends, 2024
In 2024, both rising military expenditure and the ongoing flow of weapons and ammunition into armed conflicts, including through illicit trade, continued to stoke deep concerns about potential escalations in violence and risks of diversion to unauthorized recipients. The trade in conventional weapons drove and sustained geopolitical conflict and instability in many regions, most notably in Ukraine, Gaza, the Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Myanmar and the Syrian Arab Republic. Entrenched conflicts and geopolitical tensions placed growing pressure on treaties and norms governing conventional arms.
The year saw intense fighting and unprecedented civilian suffering in the Middle East. Political and public debates on arms and ammunition exports intensified globally, with Israel’s conduct of hostilities across the region generating mounting scrutiny of its weapons suppliers. Continued arms transfers to Israel, especially from Western States, amplified accusations of double standards in the application of humanitarian norms within arms trade regulatory frameworks, leading to increased calls for stronger accountability and transparency. Even as ceasefire negotiations brought new hope to civilians in Gaza for an end to the fighting and to Israeli hostages for their swift release, the future of the region remained fraught with uncertainty.
As the war in Ukraine persisted into another year, combat operations escalated and evolved in nature, with numerous States continuing to provide military assistance and transfers of arms and ammunition to both sides. The year was marked by significant shifts in battlefield dynamics, including the reported deployment of troops to Kursk from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in support of the Russian Federation’s invasion, and Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles supplied by the United States and others to strike targets in Russian territory. The humanitarian situation for civilians in Ukraine remained dire, with deliberate targeting of civilian and energy infrastructure intensifying alongside the widespread deployment of armed uncrewed aerial vehicles.
Numerous other countries experienced severe crises fuelled by armed conflict. The Sudan endured one of the most challenging periods in its modern history, as the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces plunged the nation deeper into turmoil (A/HRC/57/23). Haiti remained in the grip of unrelenting gang violence, which claimed at least 5,601 lives in 2024 alone. The Democratic Republic of the Congo continued to be ensnared in cycles of conflict that had killed and displaced millions of people over decades. Four years after the military coup in Myanmar, the death toll in the thousands continued to rise, with millions more suffering displacement and insecurity. Meanwhile, significant military developments in the Syrian Arab Republic led to the establishment of a new interim governing authority after 14 years of devastating war, potentially creating a historic opportunity to build peace.
Reflecting faith in diplomacy and the multilateral disarmament system, States agreed to better address the role of the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons and the risks of diversion to unauthorized recipients in aggravating conflict and violence. At the fourth Review Conference of the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, countries reached a landmark agreement to establish an open-ended technical expert group tasked with addressing emerging technological opportunities to eradicate illicit arms and challenges, including polymer and modular weapons, 3D printing, and associated difficulties in weapons tracing (A/CONF.192/2024/RC/3, annex). Meanwhile, the Security Council continued to recognize the detrimental impact of small arms and light weapons in a range of country-specific and thematic discussions.
Figure 3.1. Trends in small arms and light weapons
Left: The global pace of reported small arms and light weapons destruction increased from 2018 to 2023, with 717,712 weapons destroyed in the 2022–2023 biennium alone. Destruction terminates the life cycles of weapons, making it an effective method of reducing their number on the illicit market. The entire six-year period saw more than 1,763,000 weapons destroyed, including weapons collected in previous years and obsolete weapons from national stockpiles.
Data source: National reports on the implementation of the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons. The data cover the two prior years as reported by 96 countries in 2020, 90 countries in 2022, and 100 countries in 2024.
Right: International tracing helps investigators track the origin of illicit small arms and light weapons and identify where they were diverted from legal channels. Under the United Nations Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons, States work together by sharing manufacturing records, transfer documentation and licensing data through national inquiries and international and regional databases. Among 100 national reports submitted in 2024 (covering 2022–2023), 21 States collected data on international tracing requests. They recorded a total of 1,740 tracing requests submitted in that period, with 1,419 (82 per cent) receiving responses and 1,086 matching to successfully traced weapons (62 per cent). This high success rate was primarily driven by efficient tracing operations in Jamaica and Burkina Faso.
Data source: 2024 national report on the implementation of the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons.
In 2024, multiple incidents of unplanned explosions took place at ammunition sites across various regions, underscoring the persistent safety risks posed by inadequate ammunition management practices. Building upon the landmark adoption of the Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management in 2023, States and other stakeholders engaged in substantive discussions at the subregional level on implementing the new political commitments.
The deliberations focused on developing comprehensive regional and national approaches to address the challenges of illicit trafficking, diversion and unplanned explosions of conventional ammunition.
Figure 3.2. Quick facts: unplanned explosions at munition sites
Abbreviation: UEMS – unplanned explosions at munition sites.
From January 1979 to December 2024, more than 31,000 casualties were recorded from incidents caused by unplanned explosions at munitions sites. The data show the importance of adopting effective measures to prevent and reduce the number of explosions at munition sites, while mitigating the consequences for the victims of these incidents. The adoption of the Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management represents an opportunity to enhance the prevention and mitigation of explosions at munition sites.
Data source: Small Arms Survey.
The threat posed by improvised explosive devices remained a significant focus for Member States, the United Nations, humanitarian organizations and civil society actors. Throughout 2024, these devices continued to cause devastation across multiple regions in the context of armed conflict, crime and terrorism. Despite a 27 per cent decrease in the total number of incidents from the previous year, civil society organizations recorded a 67 per cent surge in casualties from attacks involving improvised explosive devices, highlighting their profound human impact. The Security Council addressed the evolving threat through dedicated thematic discussions and within its deliberations on specific country and regional situations.
In 2024, the Office for Disarmament Affairs continued its support for the African Union’s Silencing the Guns initiative through the continued implementation of their joint Africa Amnesty Month project. Established by the African Union Assembly in 2017, the effort promotes the voluntary surrender of illicitly held small arms and light weapons in accordance with national laws and international agreements, allowing civilians to hand over weapons without fear of arrest or prosecution. In collaboration with the African Union Commission and the Regional Centre on Small Arms and Light Weapons, the project successfully implemented impactful activities in three beneficiary States: Central African Republic, Djibouti and Rwanda. The activities had the aim of raising awareness about the dangers of illegal arms possession, facilitating weapons collection and strengthening national capacities to combat illicit arms trafficking across the region.
Throughout the year, the Department of Peace Operations and the Office for Disarmament Affairs continued to advance their joint initiative on effective weapons and ammunition management in a changing disarmament, demobilization and reintegration context. By fostering interdepartmental collaboration, the effort continued helping to bridge the interconnected domains of arms control, peacekeeping, conflict prevention and peacebuilding in alignment with the Secretary-General’s New Agenda for Peace, particularly its focus on reducing the human cost of weapons.
During its 2024 reporting cycle, participation in key transparency instruments showed a slight decline. A total of 57 Member States submitted annual reports to the United Nations Report on Military Expenditures, down from 63 in the previous year. Likewise, submissions to the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms fell to 65 States in 2024, from 74 in 2023.
Meanwhile, the Saving Lives Entity (SALIENT) expanded its impact, supporting comprehensive and sustainable responses through development-oriented projects in six countries: Ghana, Honduras, Kyrgyzstan, Panama, Papua New Guinea and South Sudan. The United Nations Trust Facility Supporting Cooperation on Arms Regulation (UNSCAR) continued to serve as a sustainable and predictable funding mechanism for international assistance in the field of conventional arms. In 2024, UNSCAR financed 10 arms control projects implemented by civil society organizations and United Nations partners, while selecting 11 new initiatives for implementation in 2025, further strengthening its role in advancing multilateral arms control objectives.
A law enforcement officer in Saint Kitts and Nevis participates in a firearms and ammunition destruction exercise held from 20 to 24 May. Defence and police forces in the country facilitated the training session in cooperation with the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean.