Bridging Agendas: Operationalizing Youth within SALW Control Frameworks
Background
At the Fourth Review Conference of the UN Program of Action (PoA) on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW), member states in the Outcome Document underscored the need to “mainstream youth considerations by analysing the youth-specific impacts of the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, and creating mechanisms to ensure that the needs, perspectives and contribution of youth are incorporated into policies and plans.”
Member States, reiterating the need to understand and address the root causes and socioeconomic and environmental drivers of the illicit trade in SALW, encouraged “the inclusion of the perspectives and participation of young people in the implementation of the Programme of Action and the International Tracing Instrument, as appropriate and where relevant, and recognize the positive contribution of young people.” They, acknowledging the “benefits from ensuring the inclusion, participation and perspectives of victims and survivors affected by armed violence and illicit small arms and light weapons and the organizations representing them”, resolved to “fully assess the intricate linkages between armed violence associated with illicit small arms and light weapons and the health of women, men, girls and boys, which constitutes both a public health and a mental health concern.”
In his 2025 Biennial Report, the UN Secretary-General underscored the significant human cost of armed violence associated with the illicit trade in SALW, noting that youth account for approximately 37 per cent of global homicide victims annually. The report encouraged strengthened research and analysis to better understand the specific and differentiated impacts and called upon the Security Council to strengthen the link between the youth, peace, and security (YPS) agenda and arms control as an essential precursor to addressing root causes of armed violence and building sustainable peace. The report further recommended the participation of young people in arms control and disarmament forums and adopting inclusive and locally anchored approaches.
About the Study
Although disproportionately affected by armed violence, youth remain underrepresented in disarmament processes due to limited research, insufficient standardized data on their direct and indirect impacts, and the absence of systematic analysis of their positive contributions to small arms control at community, national, and regional levels. This gap limits the effectiveness of SALW control efforts and undermines broader peace and security objectives, including Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 16.4.
By highlighting youth-specific vulnerabilities and positive contributions, the study aims to respond to the Fourth Review Conference’s call to mainstream youth considerations. It aims to foster synergies among global disarmament priorities, arms regulation, YPS, and the SDGs, advancing inclusive and sustainable peacebuilding through participatory methodologies, ensuring that young people are not only beneficiaries but also active partners in shaping security policy. Aligned with the New Agenda for Peace, especially Action 7 on ‘reducing the human costs of weapons’, and the Pact for the Future, the project aims to address the multifaceted aspects of human security with youth at its center.
The project is designed to be both youth and gender-responsive, recognizing that the illicit trade in SALW has differentiated impacts shaped by age, gender, and geographical context. Young people are disproportionately affected by armed violence, whether as victims, survivors, or in some cases, perpetrators, as those drawn into cycles of violence due to insecurity and lack of opportunities. The project’s theory of change is that if robust evidence is generated on the youth-specific impacts of illicit SALW, and if youth are meaningfully engaged in shaping policy responses, then policymakers will have the knowledge and tools to institutionalize youth participation, resulting in stronger SALW governance and more inclusive peace and security processes.
The expected impact of this project is to address a persistent gap: the lack of systematic data and analysis on how illicit SALW affects youth and how their contributions can improve policy and governance. The project advocates the recognition of youth as stakeholders with a democratic right to articulate their views and participate meaningfully in decisions that shape their security and future. In doing so, it will help move beyond tokenistic participation, ensuring equal representation, power sharing, and institutional mechanisms that mainstream youth perspectives at national, regional, and international levels.
Our Research
Monalisa Hazarika and Mila King
This paper evaluates the current landscape of the YPS Agenda within National Action Plans (NAPs), analysing where we are ten years on in terms of inclusion of youth as essential stakeholders in disarmament and arms control frameworks, with a particular focus on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) control. It aims to determine what young people are prioritising, whether and how SALW-related violence is reflected in these plans, and whether there is a recognised need to merge the youth and SALW agendas. In doing so, it interrogates the persistent gap between two policy spheres that are inherently interconnected yet continue to operate in parallel. It explores whether the Council has truly remained “actively seized of the matter,” as the resolution promised, or has the momentum for youth inclusion stalled at the boardroom door.
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