The Kinshasa Convention established a regional legal framework for controlling small arms and light weapons across Central Africa, entering into force in 2017.
Key Facts
- Adoption date
- 30 April 2010
- Adoption venue
- 30th UNSAC ministerial meeting, Kinshasa
- Entry into force
- 8 March 2017
- Ratifications required to activate
- 6
- Ratifying states (as of Aug 2022)
- 8
- Negotiating framework
- UN Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons in Central Africa fueled armed conflict, criminal violence, and instability across the region. States recognized the need for a binding regional instrument to coordinate controls on the manufacture, transfer, and possession of such weapons and their components.
On 30 April 2010, member states of the UN Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa unanimously adopted the Kinshasa Convention at the 30th ministerial meeting in Kinshasa, DRC. The convention established rules for regulating small arms and light weapons, their ammunition, and all parts used in their manufacture, repair, and assembly.
The convention entered into force on 8 March 2017 after Angola deposited the sixth instrument of ratification. By August 2022, eight Central African states had ratified it, creating a legally binding regional regime to combat illicit arms trafficking and strengthen collective security governance.
Political Outcome
Convention unanimously adopted and subsequently entered into force on 8 March 2017 after six ratifications; eight states had ratified as of August 2022.