They urged coordinated international motion to cease the illicit flows which might be driving battle, organized crime and displacement – from Haiti to the Sahel.
Adedeji Ebo, deputy disarmament chief, highlighted that regardless of latest steps to strengthen arms management frameworks, “a couple of billion firearms are in circulation globally,” sustaining battle, terrorism and legal networks throughout a number of areas.
“The illicit commerce and misuse of small arms and lightweight weapons fuels armed violence, terrorism and arranged crime,” he stated.
“Weapons diverted from nationwide stockpiles – or at any level all through the availability chain – may find yourself within the arms of non-State armed teams.”
Proliferation of ‘ghost weapons’
He additionally pointed to the rising unfold of 3D-printed “ghost weapons” with out serial numbers, more and more present in illicit markets in Western Europe and Latin America.
The human toll is stark, he stated. In 2024, the UN recorded at the very least 48,000 conflict-related civilian deaths, with small arms liable for as much as 30 per cent in some contexts.
“These abuses are preventable,” he pressured, calling for stronger stockpile controls, tracing programs and compliance with arms embargoes.
Adedeji Ebo, Deputy to the Excessive Consultant for Disarmament Affairs, briefs the Safety Council.
‘A borderless menace’
Roraima Ana Andriani, UN Particular Consultant to INTERPOL – the worldwide police and crime combating group – warned that illicit firearms trafficking is now deeply enmeshed with cross border organized crime, as networks use weapons to regulate territory, defend illicit economies and develop affect.
“This can be a transnational chain of violence, that may solely be addressed via transnational cooperation,” she stated.
INTERPOL’s international iARMS database comprises greater than two million data of misplaced, stolen and trafficked weapons, she famous, supporting multinational operations which have seized hundreds of firearms and dismantled networks tied to terrorism, trafficking and unlawful mining.
However she warned that policing alone is inadequate.
“No measure taken in isolation can stop the movement of such weapons throughout the globe,” she stated, urging the Council to explicitly incorporate INTERPOL’s function into sanctions and arms embargo mandates.
African area underneath acute pressure
Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the African Union Excessive Consultant for Silencing the Weapons, stated small arms proliferation is “a most cancers” driving instability throughout the continent, from the Sahel to the Nice Lakes area.
“These weapons are getting used to unleash horrific violence and struggling within the Darfur area of Sudan,” he stated, referring to the continuing atrocities reported in El Fasher.
He stated controlling small arms is “a prerequisite for sustainable peace” and highlighted AU-led efforts to harmonise stockpile administration, assist amnesty and disarmament initiatives.
Africa Amnesty Month and associated programmes have led to the destruction of tens of hundreds of weapons, he stated, however the scale of the issue stays huge.
A large view of the UN Safety Council open debate on small arms and lightweight weapons.
Haiti: Armed gangs controlling territory
Arnoux Descardes, Govt Director of the Haitian civil society group VDH, described the acute impression of illicit firearms in Haiti, the place armed teams management main city areas and key transport routes.
“The trafficking of unlawful firearms is a multiplier of the disaster,” he stated. Between 270,000 and 500,000 firearms are estimated to be in circulation within the nation, however solely about 45,000 are legally registered, he famous.
“The proliferation of small arms in Haiti fuels insecurity and paralyses social and financial life,” he stated, calling for stronger border controls and disarmament programmes.
Name for sustained, coordinated motion
Mr. Ebo concluded by warning that “the weapons produced and transferred at present danger fuelling the instability of tomorrow.”
He urged the Safety Council to combine small arms controls into peace operations, peacebuilding methods and sanctions monitoring.
“Our accountability is obvious,” he stated. “We should stop the diversion and illicit manufacturing of small arms and lightweight weapons or we are going to face the implications of deepening insecurity.”
