This side event was convened by UNREC, the African Union (AU), and UNOCHA and took place in the margins of the 26th Summit of Heads of State of the AU. The participants included representatives of the AU Peace and Security, Political and Social Affairs Departments, the AU Special Envoy for Women, Peace and Security, Ms Bineta Diop, as well as the ICRC, IOM, UNOAU, UNESCO, UNHCR, and UN Women. Representatives of several African Member States, including South Africa, Gabon, Zimbabwe, and Malawi, and other members of the diplomatic community also participated in the meeting. The objective of the meeting was to appraise the disarmament limitations as well as the humanitarian and development projections and consequences of not silencing the guns in Africa. Areas highlighted included ratification of international instruments such as the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), the need to strengthen physical security and stockpile management (PSSM), and the need for African states to share information including intelligence on illicit gun trafficking.