Inside the Networks: How Knowledge-Sharing Drives Improvised SALW, IEDs and UAS Production
December 8
Improvised weapons are no longer rare or difficult to build. With knowledge-sharing more accessible than ever, the threat posed by do-it-yourself Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW), and Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) continues to grow. On 8 December 2025, the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) will host a high-level international conference in Geneva, Switzerland, to examine this pressing issue: Inside the Networks: How Knowledge-Sharing Drives Improvised SALW, IEDs and UAS Production.
This in-person event—organized under the auspices of UNIDIR’s new initiative, “Breaking the Supply Chain: Countering the Illicit Production of Improvised SALW, IEDs and UAS”—will bring together global experts to assess how informal and formal knowledge-sharing networks fuel the proliferation of improvised conventional weapons. These networks, operating both online and offline, are lowering barriers to access, enabling a wider range of non-state actors to manufacture weapons with unprecedented speed and scale.
The conference aims to:
- Highlight how global, decentralized knowledge networks enable the spread of improvised weapons manufacturing techniques;
- Serve as a neutral platform for knowledge exchange across sectors and geographies;
- Share good practices and identify actionable solutions for disrupting these networks and enhancing collective response mechanisms;
- Strengthen international cooperation on threat surveillance, detection, and response.
Target Audience
Participation is by invitation only and will include representatives from UN permanent missions, international and regional organizations, national law enforcement, defense and security experts, and other stakeholders working in counter-IED, CBRNE, and conventional arms control domains. Industry and academic professionals working on surveillance, security technologies, decision support systems, and protective measures are also key stakeholders in this dialogue.
As the security landscape continues to evolve, understanding and disrupting the knowledge flows behind improvised weapons is a critical step in preventing their proliferation. This conference represents a timely and focused effort to build global resilience against one of the fastest-growing threats in asymmetric warfare and internal security.