Without strict control, such weapons will continue to fuel violent conflict, state repression, crime, and domestic abuse. Unless governments act to stop the spread of arms, more lives will be lost, more human rights violations will take place, and more people will be denied the chance to escape poverty.

For many years, in our work around the world, Oxfam, Amnesty International, and IANSA have witnessed the human cost of arms abuses and campaigned for tougher arms controls. But now the situation is critical.

Urgent measures are needed immediately. Governments need to take action at every level, from communities to the international arena, to stop this suffering.