Armed conflicts tear apart communities, infrastructure, and livelihoods, taking hundreds of thousands of lives away and displacing tens of millions of people around the world each year. The great majority of casualties in present-day conflict are civilians. Civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian infrastructure are not simply byproducts of war, but the consequence of deliberate targeting. Belligerents also often target civilians in particular roles, such as journalists, medical practitioners, and humanitarian staff.

Widespread use of  heavy artillery, aerial bombardments and small arms and light weapons has a significant impact on the scope and level of the violence that affects civilian populations in armed conflict. Anti-personnel landmines, cluster munitions, improvised explosive devices and explosive remnants of war have also been widely used in conflicts, killing and maiming thousands of civilians every year, including many children.

Upcoming related events

• Review Conference Programme of Action on Small arms
• Small arms national report
• ATT meetings
• Ammunition informal consultations
• IEDs informal consultations
• Disarmament calendar