The world is facing a cross-border "chain of violence" driven by small arms and light weapons, UN disarmament and law enforcement officials told the Security Council on Monday.
They urged coordinated global action to stop the illicit flows that are driving conflict, organized crime and displacement - from Haiti to the Sahel.
Adedeji Ebo, deputy disarmament chief, highlighted that despite recent steps to strengthen arms control frameworks, "more than one billion firearms are in circulation globally," sustaining conflict, terrorism and criminal networks across multiple regions.
"The illicit trade and misuse of small arms and light weapons fuels armed violence, terrorism and organized crime," he said.
"Weapons diverted from national stockpiles - or at any point throughout the supply chain - could end up in the hands of non-State armed groups."
Proliferation of 'ghost guns'
He also pointed to the growing spread of 3D-printed "ghost guns" without serial numbers, increasingly found in illicit markets in Western Europe and Latin America.
The human toll is stark, he said. In 2024, the UN recorded at least 48,000 conflict-related civilian deaths, with small arms responsible for up to 30 per cent in some contexts.
"These abuses are preventable," he stressed, calling for stronger stockpile controls, tracing systems and compliance with arms embargoes.
'A borderless threat'
Roraima Ana Andriani, UN Special Representative to INTERPOL - the international police and crime fighting organization - warned that illicit firearms trafficking is now deeply enmeshed with cross border organized crime, as networks use weapons to control territory, protect illicit economies and expand influence.
"This is a transnational chain of violence, that can only be addressed through transnational cooperation," she said.
INTERPOL's global iARMS database contains more than two million records of lost, stolen and trafficked weapons, she noted, supporting multinational operations that have seized thousands of firearms and dismantled networks tied to terrorism, trafficking and illegal mining.
But she warned that policing alone is insufficient.
"No measure taken in isolation can prevent the flow of such weapons across the globe," she said, urging the Council to explicitly incorporate INTERPOL's role into sanctions and arms embargo mandates.
African region under acute strain
Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the African Union High Representative for Silencing the Guns, said small arms proliferation is "a cancer" driving instability across the continent, from the Sahel to the Great Lakes region.
"These weapons are being used to unleash horrific violence and suffering in the Darfur region of Sudan," he said, referring to the ongoing atrocities reported in El Fasher .
He said controlling small arms is "a prerequisite for sustainable peace" and highlighted AU-led efforts to harmonise stockpile management, support amnesty and disarmament initiatives.
Africa Amnesty Month and related programmes have led to the destruction of tens of thousands of weapons, he said, but the scale of the problem remains vast.
Haiti: Armed gangs controlling territory
Arnoux Descardes, Executive Director of the Haitian civil society organization VDH, described the acute impact of illicit firearms in Haiti, where armed groups control major urban areas and key transport routes.
"The trafficking of illegal firearms is a multiplier of the crisis," he said. Between 270,000 and 500,000 firearms are estimated to be in circulation in the country, but only about 45,000 are legally registered, he noted.
"The proliferation of small arms in Haiti fuels insecurity and paralyses social and economic life," he said, calling for stronger border controls and disarmament programmes.
Call for sustained, coordinated action
Mr. Ebo concluded by warning that "the weapons produced and transferred today risk fuelling the instability of tomorrow."
He urged the Security Council to integrate small arms controls into peace operations, peacebuilding strategies and sanctions monitoring.
"Our responsibility is clear," he said. "We must prevent the diversion and illicit manufacturing of small arms and light weapons or we will face the consequences of deepening insecurity."
