2021 Biennial Meeting of States on Small Arms

The seventh Biennial Meeting of States (BMS7) on the UN Programme of Action (UNPoA) to Prevent, Combat, and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons In All Its Aspects is scheduled to take place 26–30 July 2021 in a hybrid format with physical meetings occurring at United Nations Headquarters in New York. The Chair for the Conference is Ambassador Martin Kimani of Kenya.

Information about civil society participation is available in this aide-memoire. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, civil society participation at BMS7 is taking place virtually/online, taking into account the safety and health guidelines implemented at the United Nations Headquarters. There is no expectation of travel to UNHQ in New York. All side events will take place fully virtually. The International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) serves as the official coordinator of civil society participation in BMS7 this year. Please contact them at [email protected] if you have any questions related to the BMS7, including accreditation, registration, side events, and NGO statements to the meeting.

BMS7 resources

• Documents
• Statements
• Small Arms Monitor
• Side events

WILPF side events

On 29 July, 9:00 EST, WILPF, together with the Gender Equality Network for Small Arms Control (GENSAC), is co-hosting the online event “Advancing gender-responsive small arms control through advocacy and research: opportunities and challenges.” The event will feature speakers from WILPF Kenya and WILPF’s partner Asuda, who will speak to some of the practical challenges of doing work in this area, including challenges related to gender-disaggregated data collection.

WILPF will also speak at the online event "Comparing global arms control instrument review processes: Lessons and challenges," on 28 July, 13:15 - 14:45 EST.

Relevant websites

• International Action Network on Small Arms 
• UN Office for Disarmament Affairs page for BMS7

Reaching Critical Will resources

• How to mitigate gender-based violence against persistent security challenges in Burkina Faso? (French) (August 2019)
  
• Gender and armed violence: a look at the situation in Cameroon (August 2019)
• The link between the proliferation of SALW and gender-based violence in the DRC (French) (August 2019)
• The 2018 Small Arms Monitor
• Preventing gender-based violence through arms control (April 2016)
• Women, weapons, and war: a gendered critique of multilateral instruments (October 2015)
• Small arms, big picture (September 2014)
• An assessment of the PoA (June 2014)

Background information

• 2018 Review Conference
• 2018 Preparatory Committee for the Review Conference
• 2016 Biennial Meeting of States (BMS6)
• 2015 Meeting of Government Experts (MGE2)
• 2014 Biennial Meeting of States (BMS5)
• 2012 Review Conference
• 2012 Preparatory Committee for the Review Conference
• 2011 Meeting of Governmental Experts (MGE1)
• 2010 Biennial Meeting of States (BMS4)
• 2008 Biennial Meeting of States (BMS3)
• UN Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons
• International Tracing Instrument

Other resources

• 2020 Report of the UN Secretary General on the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects and assistance to States for curbing the illicit traffic in small arms and light weapons and collecting them (A/75/78)
• 2019 Report of the UN Secretary General on the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects and assistance to States for curbing the illicit traffic in small arms and light weapons and collecting them (A/74/187)
• UN Office for Disarmament Affairs
• International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA)