Since the full lifecycle of salws, while the

Since the 1990s, many countries have worked tirelessly to develop an international convention toregulate the arms trade, finally culminating in the The Arms Trade Treaty(ATT). The ATT was a watershed moment for DISEC and the General Assembly, inthat the resolution encompassed provisions for regulating legal internationaltrade pertaining the wide range of conventional weaponry, including SALWs. Entered into force on 24 December 2014, it has been signed by 130 states todate, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Franceand Spain, countries which have traditionally been key exporters of armaments. To this end, it obligates member States to monitor the export of arms in orderto ensure compliance with UN arms embargoes and to prevent arms from being usedfor purposes that undermine human rights, such as terrorism, via theimplementation of enforceable, standardised regulations and tracing mechanismson all weapons. Other mechanisms include the availability of assistance toState parties to the ATT when implementing the treaty- a voluntary trust fundis to be established by State parties for this purpose, and the United NationsTrust Facility Supporting Cooperation on Arms Regulation has been launched tokick-start advocacy, universalisation and implementation of the ATT.  However, the operation of low intensityconflict hinging on the prevalence of SALWs often features a wide spectrum ofnon-state actors, most of whom partake in the fluid exchange of weaponry andarmaments between one another, especially from under the chaos of civilconflict. Especially in ongoing conflict states like Syria, many countriessponsor Syrian rebels against Assad’s forces, but these armaments more oftenthan not end up in the hands of radical groups who might indulge in even morewanton destruction against society.

As the intensity of conflict increases, thedefinition of “ contributing to crimes against humanity” takes on an ambiguitythat has become notoriously hard to remove. While not directlyconnected to the ATT, several sets of international guidelines can also beconsidered. The International Small Arms Control Standards (ISACS) providepractical guidance on putting in place effective national controls over thefull lifecycle of SALWs, while the International Ammunition TechnicalGuidelines constitute a frame of reference to achieve and demonstrate effectivelevels of safety and security of ammunition stockpiles. These standards providea means by which multinational efforts to control and regulate the trade ofSALWs may be assessed and analysed.