There is no universally accepted definition of a 'small arm' or of a 'light weapon’ but rather, these two types of weapon groups are often identified by their portability as was put forward by a 1997 UN Panel of Governmental Experts. Typically, small arms include items such as hand guns, pistols, rifles, sub-machine guns, mortars, grenades, and light missiles. Light weapons include heavy machine guns, mounted grenade launchers, portable anti-aircraft guns, anti-tank guns, and portable launchers of anti-tank missile. 

There are many regional agreements, both politically and legally binding, that relate to small arms and light weapons. These include the Nairobi Protocol; the ECOWAS Convention; the Southern Africa Protocol; and the Inter-American Convention Against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, and Other Related Materials (CIFTA), as well as measures undertaken by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the European Union. The UN Programme of Action on small arms and light weapons provides the framework for activities to counter the illicit trade in SALW. It was adopted by all UN member states in 2001. By-products of the UNPoA include the International Tracing Instrument, the Firearms Protocol, and  a Group of Governmental Experts on arms brokering. In 2020, the UN General Assembly established a Group of Governmental Experts on the subject of surplus ammunition. There are also two UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions on SALW, adopted in 2013 and 2015, and the subject comes up often in the context of the UNSC’s country and regional debates. The UN Secretary-General publishes biennial reports on the topic.

WILPF has long supported not just ending the trade in SALW, but also of regulating and stopping their production, along with ammunition, to facilitate demilitarisation and reduce armed violence. We’ve continuously raised concerns in particular about the relationship between the widespread availability of SALW and gender-based violence.