5 Opportunities to Put Weapons Down and Women Ahead

On March 17, 2025, the Presidents of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, with support from the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, convened a high-level joint meeting on “Small arms and light weapons control for preventing violence and advancing sustainable development.”

The gathering underscored an urgent truth. Gender-responsive arms control is not a side issue: it’s central to achieving peace, security, and advancing development goals worldwide.

While men make up the majority of homicide victims globally (80 percent in 2022), women face heightened risks of intimate partner violence and femicide, often perpetrated with firearms. Natalie Briggs of the Gender Equality Network for Small Arms Control (GENSAC) spoke on the second panel of the day, addressing the role of arms control in advancing gender equality and Sustainable Development Goal 5. Here are five key takeaways from the event.

Read the full blog here.