With one day left to conclude the first ever global arms trade treaty, we write to urge you and your administration to close the remaining loopholes in the treaty text now under negotiation and to urge other key states to support the treaty, which can help reduce the substantial harm inflicted by the illicit arms trade. The arms trade treaty att is the first international, legally binding, instrument that establishes national standards for regulating the trade in conventional arms and preventing their illicit trade. Foundation fellows and diplomats have lauded the overwhelming approval of the arms trade treaty att by the general assembly of the united nations, with. General assembly first accepted it, and three months after the treaty gained 50 required. General assembly first accepted it, and three months after the. The arms trade treaty is a multilateral treaty that regulates the international trade in conventional weapons. The arms trade treaty is the first legallybinding instrument ever negotiated in the united nations to establish common standards for the international transfer of conventional weapons.
How to reach consensus on an arms trade treaty arms control. The final text contains a number of serious loopholes and flaws, some of which are outlined below. The treaty creates a new global norm against which states practice will be measured, by other states and by international civil society. Issue paperthe firearms protocol and the arms trade treaty. The control arms coalition, supported by academy award nominee djimon hounsou, urged diplomats to use the time effectively to close the massive loopholes in the current draft text and agree a treaty that will truly save lives.
May 20, 2019 arms trade treaty its loopholes, origins and usa upsc ias. General assembly ga adopted the arms trade treaty att on a vote of 154 nations in favor including the united states, 23 abstentions, and 3 against iran, north korea. United nations arms trade treatys deadly loophole global. Letter calls on obama to close loopholes and support arms. There is a proposed arms trade code of conduct to regulate and address who arms are sold to. The biggest danger of a weak arms trade treaty is that it legitimises business as usual. These negotiations will pick up from where last julys ended, with a draft treaty that is a good start, but contains loopholes and gaps that we need to plug to make sure that its the arms trade treaty the one that stops weapons being bought or sold where theres a significant risk theyd be used to commit human rights abuses. Arms trade treaty 81 genesis of the arms trade treaty the idea of an arms trade treaty was propounded by the costa rican president, oscar arias, a nobel laureate, who proposed a set of standards to regulate international arms trades in the1990s. Loopholes and loose language straighten the arms trade treaty. Permanent representative of australia to the united nations in geneva and ambassador for disarmament.
As has its extensive coverage of different forms of arms transfers. Is your state in a position to provide assistance to other states to enable implementation of the provisions of the arms trade treaty. The inevitable result of this, in the context of the att, will be a treaty stating that iran and. General assembly for a twoyear extension of its negotiating mandate but one thing is clear. Russias justifications for abstention and the treatys effectiveness in application joshua d. Leaving the arms trade treaty would be another shot in. Foundation fellows and diplomats have lauded the overwhelming approval of the arms trade treaty att by the general assembly of the united. The arms trade treaty att is an attempt to regulate the international trade of conventional weapons for the purpose of. Arms trade loopholes allow transport firms to ship. But, during preparatory meetings prepcoms held in 2010, 2011, and. Jul 06, 2012 as noted by the delegate of new zealand on thursday morning, success for the arms trade treaty att means the adoption of standards high enough for it to be realistic to expect the treaty to contribute meaningfully to global peace, security, and stability emphasis added. Learn more about the impact of poorly regulated arms transfers on the work of the united nations.
The meme of the weak arms trade treaty the commentator. The effort to create an international arms trade treaty att that would close loopholes terrorists use to arm themselves and kill our troops has been getting some attention recently in the. Diplomats need to fill in the missing pieces in the draft text, and make sure they agree a treaty that will save lives. Sorensen abstract over the last two decades, many states have recognized the need for. The actual text of the treaty will not be negotiated until july. Trumps decision to leave a global arms treaty was built. The wide scope of the treaty, which includes small. Arms tradea major cause of suffering global issues. Therefore, the treaty will not have an impact on gun ownership and sales in the united states. Promoting effective implementation of the arms trade treaty. Establishing common international standards for the import, export and transfer of conventional arms, a63334, august 26, 2008. Most of these sales something like 75% are to developing countries.
With one day left to conclude the first ever global arms trade treaty, we write to urge you and your administration to close the remaining loopholes in the treaty text now under negotiation and to urge other key states to support the treaty, which can help reduce. President donald trumps announcement in late april that the u. An arms trade treaty was not only feasible, but was absolutely necessary, sierra leones speaker said. In the report you have mentioned that the treaty has some loopholes and a limited scope in terms of defining weapons and the list of criteria to. If the att is really to make a difference in transforming the global arms trade, the second. When countries and arms companies are criticised for supplying arms to repressive regimes, they will be able to claim that they are complying with the arms trade treaty, as championed by the worlds leading human rights organisation. Loopholes and loose language straighten the arms trade. In august this year, states, ngos and industry representatives will meet in tokyo for the fourth conference of states parties csp4 to the att. Jun 30, 20 10 articles on arms tradea major cause of suffering and 1 related issue. On 2 april 20, the general assembly of the united nations unga adopted the arms trade treaty att. Apr 08, 20 the failure of the arms trade treaty more.
For the purposes of this treaty, the activities of the international trade comprise export, import, transit, transshipment and brokering, hereafter referred to as transfer. Following are questions and answers about the draft arms trade treaty. Arms trade treaty its loopholes, origins and usa upsc. The arms trade treaty att is a multilateral treaty that regulates the international trade in conventional weapons it entered into force on 24 december 2014. Time for governments to make history and agree to an arms. The point of an arms trade treaty is to set standards for all crossborder transfers of any. Addressing loopholes in assessing by katherine prizeman, global action to prevent war.
On 25 september the united nations held a highlevel event, the arms trade treaty. The treaty must include provisions committing states to investing in ensuring victims receive the assistance they need to recover. This is the path to a successful arms trade treaty. How to reach consensus on an arms trade treaty arms. May 25, 2018 the arms trade treaty att is the first international, legally binding, instrument that establishes national standards for regulating the trade in conventional arms and preventing their illicit trade. An amnesty international report says that transport companies in nations such as germany are using arms trade agreement. Proposals are growing stronger for an arms trade treaty.
The arms trade treaty att is a multilateral treaty to regulate the international trade in conventional arms. President trump tossed a pen to the crowd at an nra conference in indianapolis on friday after signing an executive order dropping out of the arms trade treaty signed during the. Arms trade treaty att conference is increasingly looking like a failure. Many who have critically monitored the situation in. All the discussion at this conference about treaty implementation and all the ngo grumbling about loopholes is irrelevant, because none of it relates to the real world. Issue paperthe firearms protocol and the arms trade. The arms trade treaty att is an international treaty that regulates the international trade in conventional arms and seeks to prevent and eradicate illicit trade and diversion of conventional arms by establishing international standards governing arms transfers.
Over 100 states are meeting in geneva to discuss why the threeyearold arms trade treaty att has so far failed. Promoting effective implementation of the arms trade. This treaty shall not apply to the international movement of conventional arms by, or on behalf of, a state party for its use provided that the conventional arms. The treaty was adopted by the united nations general assembly on april 2, 20 and opened for signature on june 3, 20. The arms trade treaty att is an attempt to regulate the international trade of conventional weapons for the purpose of contributing to. Sentiment in the halls fluctuates too fast to make reporting on its every twitch worthwhile the latest rumor is that the entire affair will go back to the u. Remove loopholes from united nations arms trade treaty.
On september 25, the united states became the 91st state to sign the treaty. The groundbreaking arms trade treaty att adopted in april 20, is the first global treaty to regulate the conventional arms trade. Sorensen abstract over the last two decades, many states have recognized the need for a multilateral treaty regulating weapons that are used all over the world. However, for various political reasons and for profit motives, some nations are seemingly unwilling to agree to a code of conduct. On 3 june the arms trade treaty opened for signature. The us administration is the pivotal player in closing major loopholes and setting strong rules for international transfers of arms in the final days of negotiations to agree an arms trade treaty att, amnesty international said today. United nations, report of the united nations conference on the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects, aconf. Be focused, be specific, and draft a treaty with precise definitions that minimize the loopholes of creative interpretation. World uns arms trade treaty too weak to make a difference over 100 states are meeting in geneva to discuss why the threeyearold arms trade treaty att has so far failed. Apr 16, 2012 by rachel stohl in july 2012, states will negotiate a legally binding arms trade treaty to develop the highest possible common international standards for the transfer of arms at the united nations. Posted on february 27, 2012 march 12, 2015 by ammoland by paul gallant, sherry gallant, alan chwick, and joanne d.
Amnesty international usa along with the global att coalition is continuing to fight for a robust arms trade treaty. Arms trade treaty its loopholes, origins and usa upsc ias. Arms trade loopholes allow transport firms to ship weapons. These negotiations will pick up from where last julys ended, with a draft treaty that is a good start, but contains loopholes and gaps that we need to plug to make sure that its the arms trade treaty the one that stops weapons being bought or sold where theres a.
Mar 22, 20 following are questions and answers about the draft arms trade treaty. The arms trade treaty att was signed by thensecretary of state john kerry on behalf of the united states on september 25, 20, and was transmitted to the senate by the obama administration on. As noted by the delegate of new zealand on thursday morning, success for the arms trade treaty att means the adoption of standards high enough for it to be realistic to expect the treaty to contribute meaningfully to global peace. However, it was the ngos dealing with issues of peace and security and arms control that. On 2 april the general assembly adopted the arms trade treaty att with a vote of 154323.