What is the Future for Small Arms Control?

Conceptualizing peace involves considering the different visions of what constitutes peace, along with what security means. Using the well-known negative and positive peace framework, which differentiates between the mere absence of armed conflict and the establishment of conditions that foster sustainable peace and prevent conflict, this panel discussion will revisit small arms control efforts in its early age, and call for an approach that is grounded in a sustainable vision of peace. It will underscore the arms control community’s tendency to prioritize supply-side factors, while overlooking the root causes of illicit arms proliferation, their misuse, and the importance of more localized and gender-responsive approaches.

Despite some progress achieved through the implementation of international small arms control instruments, populations worldwide continue to be affected by armed violence and conflict. In 2021, the number of people who lost their lives violently dramatically increased, with firearms accounting for 45% of these deaths. This data casts doubts on the possibility of achieving Target 16.1 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In the current context of evolving warfare and the resurgence of armed conflicts, it is pertinent to consider the future trajectory of small arms control. To envisage the future, it is imperative to revisit the past to understand the origins of small arms control. Coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the Small Arms Survey, examining the present will enable us to draw lessons for shaping the future of small arms control.

Welcome Remarks

• Mr. Gilles Cerutti - Head, Humanitarian, Diplomacy, Peace and Human Rights Division,  Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Switzerland
• Dr. Mark Downes - Director, Small Arms Survey

Moderator

• Ms. Melanie Regimbal - Director, United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs – Geneva

Speakers

• Dr. Keith Krause - Director, Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding
• Ms. Anne-Séverine Fabre - Researcher, Small Arms Survey
• Ms. Viktoriia Voronina - Executive Director, Center for Security Studies “CENSS”

Interpretation

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Live streaming

All events during Geneva Peace Week will be available on-site and online.

Main Organizer

• Small Arms Survey

Co-Organizers

• Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
• Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding (CCDP) at the Geneva Graduate Institute 
• UNODA – United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs