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The Arms Trade Treaty process
We began the Control Arms campaign in October 2003 and in December 2006, we successfully mobilised an overwhelming majority of governments (153) to vote in favour of an historic United Nations (UN) General Assembly (GA) resolution 61/89 which called for work to begin towards a global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) covering international transfers of conventional arms. You can see the full results of the vote here.
In 2007, there was a UN Secretary General’s (SG) Consultation on the ‘feasibility, scope and draft parameters of an Arms Trade Treaty’. Some 100 States submitted their views to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on the feasibility, scope and draft parameters of an ATT. Most States re-affirmed their respect for the UN Charter as well as international human rights and humanitarian law and recognized the link between responsible arms transfers and sustainable development.
Read States' submissions to the UN Secretary General's Consultation
Read What States' Want: NGO analysis of states' submissions to the UN Secretary General
A UN Group of Governmental Experts (GGE), mandated to examine the “feasibility, scope and parameters” of an ATT finished its work in New York on 8 August 2008, after having met three times throughout the year. The group, chaired by an expert from Argentina, was composed of experts from a range of countries including Brazil, China, Egypt, France, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, and the UK. The US, which was the only state to oppose the 2006 UN vote in favour of working towards a treaty, also had an expert at the discussions. The Control Arms campaign closely followed the GGE process. The final agreed report from the group has now been made public and was presented by the UN Secretary General to the General Assembly. You can read the full report here
In October 2008, 147 states voted in favour of a second resolution on the ATT. This resolution mandates the UN to establish an Open-Ended Working Group, open to all UN member states to further consider the elements in the GGE report where consensus could be developed for their inclusion in an eventual, legally binding treaty.
