Towards a universal arms trade treaty rand corporation. The treaty was adopted by the united nations general assembly in april 20 and aims to increase transparency and promote responsibility and accountability in international arms transfer decisions. 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. This treaty shall apply to all conventional arms within the following. By the end of 20, the us and more than 100 other states had signed this global treaty. Us president donald trump has said he will withdraw his country from the international arms trade treaty. For most observers, including the treatys most avid supporters, both the speed and the overwhelming success of the vote were unexpected even a year before. 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.
Pilpg% armstrade%treaty,july2015% 1 the arms trade treaty. Another of president obamas brazen acts as he leaves office is a parting shot at american gun owners by submitting the u. The agreement, signed by barack obama in 20, aims to regulate the sale of weapons. The majority of the worlds major conventional defense companies already operate in one of the most regulated markets in the world. The arms trade treaty establishes common international standards for the regulation of the international trade in conventional arms, ammunition, parts and components for the purpose of contributing to peace and security, reducing human suffering, and promoting cooperation and transparency. Only a global treaty can effectively tackle the problems of the unregulated arms trade. 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. The arms trade treaty was adopted by the general assembly in its resolution 67234b of 2 april 20. President trump effectively unsigned an international arms sales agreement friday, moving to withdraw the u. Why an arms trade treaty wont stop the arms trade, 18 march 20. Secretary of state john kerry signs the arms trade treaty as under secretarygeneral for legal affairs miguel serpa soares looks on during the 68th session of the united nations general assembly at u. Annual report guidance booklet arms trade treatybaseline.
The wide scope of the treaty, which includes small. Implications and consequences of the arms trade treaty. Special event to mark the opening for signature of the arms trade treaty, 3 june 20. Though thensecretary of state john kerry signed the arms trade treaty att on behalf of the united states on september 25, 20, the obama administration waited until december 9. The arms trade treaty in the context of postcold war conventional arms trade regulation, 10 july 2012 control arms, which includes oxfam and amnesty international, coordinated the campaign for an arms trade treaty. Donald trump to withdraw us from arms trade treaty bbc news. Foundation fellows and diplomats have lauded the overwhelming approval of the arms trade treaty att by the general assembly of. In 2006, under resolution 6189, the assembly had recognized that the absence of common international standards on the import, export and transfer of conventional arms was a contributory factor to conflict, the. Ap photojason decrow as united nations officials welcome the christmas eve entry into force of.
The treaty was adopted by the united nations general assembly on april 2, 20 and opened for signature on june 3, 20. Arms trade treaty att conference is increasingly looking like a failure. United nations the arms trade treaty preamble the states parties to this treaty, guided by the purposes and principles of the charter of the united nations, recalling article 26 of the charter of the united nations which seeks to promote the establishment and maintenance of international peace and security with. India to acquire nuclear weapons, let alone the story of pakistans acquisition. Arms trade treaty the swift entry into force of the att would be a clear indication of its signatories willingness and determination to address the poorly regulated international arms trade. Guided by the purposes and principles of the charter of the united nations. Read more about the arms trade treaty external link arms trade treaty report 2016 pdf, 5. The arms trade treaty att entered into force on 24 december 2014. Inadequate controls on arms transfers have led to widespread availability and misuse of weapons. The uk chose to provisionally apply articles 6 and 7 upon ratification. Permanent representative of australia to the united nations in geneva and ambassador for disarmament.
The arms trade treaty and drones the stimson center. The uk signed the arms trade treaty att on 3 june 20 and ratified on 2 april 2014. The arms trade treaty july 2007 1 on 6 december 2006, the united nations general assembly ga voted 153 to one1 to begin work on a treaty to regulate the trade of conventional arms. The arms trade treaty att is a multilateral treaty that regulates international trade in conventional weapons, from small arms to battle tanks, combat aircraft and warships. 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. Irresponsible arms transfers and abuse of arms contribute to the deaths of at least. A global arms trade treaty for the world 10 killer facts you need to know before you get started on your activism, here are 10 killer facts you need to know about the international arms trade and its consequences. Is your state in a position to provide assistance to other states to enable implementation of the provisions of the arms trade treaty. While the nra and a bipartisan majority of progun senators have succeeded in blocking this treatys.
The arms trade treaty att, the first global, legally binding instrument to reg ulate the. Report from the arms trade treaty conference of states. The united states was the 91st state to sign the treaty. On september 25, the united states became the 91st state to sign the treaty. Formerly, there were three european communities which were the european economic community eec european coal and steel community ecsc, and the european atomic energy community euratom. For treaties where the secretarygeneral of the united nations is not the depository, the records in this database rely on information provided to the united nations by the depository states of those treaties.
The makes arms transfer decisions att subject to humanitarian. Canada prepares to join the arms trade treaty canada. Three member states democratic peoples republic of korea dprk, iran and syria voted against the decision, while 23 countries abstained. Pacific countries were strong supporters of the att throughout the negotiations, consistent with the common position on the att adopted by the pacific islands forum, and participated in a positive and united fashion on. The draft arms trade treaty 5 the global trade in conventional arms is worth tens of billions of dollars each year, while many other weapons are transferred by means of gifts, leases, or loans.
A practical guide to national implementation the arms trade treaty 4 about the authors and contributors stuart caseymaslen is an honorary professor with the faculty of law at the university of pretoria in south africa. General assembly for a twoyear extension of its negotiating mandate but one thing is clear. The arms trade treaty begins by setting out a number of overarching principles, such as the right to individual or collective selfdefence, the peaceful settlement of disputes, nonintervention in the domestic affairs of states, the importance of human rights and humanitarian law, the primary responsibility of states to regulate the arms trade and prevent their diversion, but also their right. The att is the first treaty to establish legally binding standards for regulating the global trade in conventional weapons. On 2 april 20, the general assembly of the united nations unga adopted the arms trade treaty att. The purpose of the att, which was finally adopted in 20, is to contribute to international and regional peace, security, and stability, by regulating. Overview of global and regional trends in arms trade. Putting the value of the arms trade and broader military expenditure into.
Geneva conventions 1949 plus their three additional protocols 1977, 1977, 2005. Command, control, communications, computers, informationintelligence, surveillance, targeting acquisition and. This is a nonbinding agreement for states to combat the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons at all levels national, regional and international. The meme of the weak arms trade treaty the commentator. Recalling article 26 of the charter of the united nations which seeks to promote the establishment and maintenance of internatio nal peace and security with the least diversion for armaments of the world s human and economic resources. Arms trade treaty issues campaign against arms trade. The merger treaty is also known as the brussels treaty. A landmark treaty regulating the global arms trade has come into force. The arms trade treaty att is a multilateral treaty to regulate the international trade in conventional arms. Council directive of 18 june 1991 on control of the acquisition and posses.
The new arms trade treaty is the first agreement to outline global guidelines. The arms trade treaty is a multilateral treaty designed to regulate international trade in conventional arms. Like guncontrol laws, even with the arms trade treaty, bad actors will continue to act accordingly, write sens. Promoting cooperation, transparency and responsible action by states parties in the international trade in conventional arms, thereby building confidence among states parties. Arms trade treaty united states department of state. It is the first legally binding international treaty to bring the arms trade under control, obliging states to ensure responsible and effective.
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