The UK supports the development of an international Arms Trade Treaty.

Why do we need an Arms Trade Treaty?

The arms market is increasingly complex and global. Existing regional and national arms export control systems don’t give complete, global coverage and are often inconsistent with each other - this creates gaps which are being exploited so arms can pass onto the illicit market. A global ATT would close these gaps.

What will it do?

An Arms Trade Treaty would be a legally binding agreement between States that they will all use the same high standard criteria in assessing whether to export conventional arms. This will help regulate the global arms market to prevent weapons reaching the hands of terrorists, insurgents and human rights abusers. For example, this would stop weapons reaching those who use them to:

• undermine stability and democracy
• harm development
• abuse human rights.

Better international standards for arms trading

The inconsistencies between current export license arrangements causes uncertainty which impacts on:

• the ability of states to deliver their sustainable development agenda
• hampers the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
  

On the Commercial front:

• it hinders investment in research and development
• limits international collaboration and production
• and causes delays to the approval of legitimate exports.
  

If all countries adopt common criteria for export control it will make it more straightforward, transparent and objective to trade arms. This will be good for business, both manufacturing and export sales.

The Treaty is not:

• a disarmament treaty
• concerned with domestic or national policies on gun ownership
• intended to affect any state’s sovereign right to self-defence and its acquisition of arms to do so
• intended to affect the right of a state to decide nationally on their arms export controls.
  
  

How would an ATT work?

Each state would remain in control of its arms export control arrangements, but would be legally obliged to assess arms exports, case-by-case, against the criteria agreed under the Treaty.

The criteria would be based on existing obligations and commitments to prevent human rights abuse, uphold international humanitarian law, and to promote stability, prosperity and security.

States would have to assess and authorise such transfers in writing and in advance.

How will the Treaty be enforced?

This will need to be agreed. The UK envisages that it will be implemented through national legislation.

The UK taking forward an ATT in the UN

Securing a robust ATT is a very high priority for the UK. We have maintained a leading global position in supporting the UN process since introducing the initial Resolution in December 2006 calling for work towards an ATT.

The Resolution was co-authored with 6 countries, Australia, Argentina, Costa Rica, Finland, Kenya and Japan.

We work closely with NGOs, the defence industry, and internationally to take this forward.

ATT re-launch

The Foreign Secretary re-launched the UK’s ATT strategy on 9 September 2008 by chairing an expert panel discussion with more than 50 delegates representing the international business community, NGOs, faith groups, civil society, the UK arms industry and the media. An effective ATT will bring benefits across society.

Watch more video clips from the ATT event on the FCO YouTube channel: ATT YouTube playlist

ATT Youth Event

On 15 June 2009, the FCO and Amnesty International hosted an ATT Youth Event at the FCO. Bill Rammell, Minister for Armed Forces (and former FCO Minister), Kate Allen, Director of Amnesty International UK and John Duncan, Ambassador for Multilateral Arms Control and Disarmament, were joined at the event by over 120 student activists from Amnesty International groups across Britain. Amnesty and government exchanged views on an ATT and all pledged to continue working towards a strong ATT.

Current progress to an ATT

In October 2008, the UK and the 6 original co-authors introduced a Resolution in the UN calling for further detailed work in 2009 on the UN on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT).

116 countries agreed to co-sponsor the Resolution – this means that they fully supported the text of the Resolution and wanted to be associated with it.

The vote, on 31 October, confirmed the overwhelming level of support for work towards an ATT, with 88% of States present, totalling 147 countries, voting in favour. 18 states abstained from voting and only 2, the US and Zimbabwe, voted against.

In the early morning of 24 December 2008, 133 States voted in favour of a draft resolution 'Towards an Arms Trade Treaty' (at the UN General Assembly). There were 19 abstentions and only 1 State, the United States, voted against. 41 States did not vote.

What does the latest Resolution do?

The Resolution builds on the outcome of the previous UN work in 2007 and 2008 towards an ATT, which culminated in August 2008 with a report by the Chair of the 28 member UN Group of Governmental Experts (GGE).

The Resolution allows for the whole UN membership to work up those elements of the GGE report where consensus could be developed for inclusion into an eventual legally-binding treaty. These elements will be discussed during a series of UN Open Ended Working Groups (OEWG).

The text of the Resolution is at United Nations General Assembly website.

The first OEWG was held  in March 2009. A small number of States remain sceptical of how an ATT might help regulate the international trade in arms but there was clear agreement that there is, as one State put it, 'a crying need' to do so. There was also a clear majority view that, working together, the international community can shape an ATT into an effective legally binding mechanism to regulate the international trade in arms.

The next OEWG will take place in New York in July 2009. The Chair of the OEWG will submit a report to the UN Secretary General following this meeting.  Then the UN General Assembly will discuss it in October when a decision will be taken on further steps towards an ATT. The UK’s Ambassador for Multilateral Arms Control and Disarmament, John Duncan, will lead the UK delegation at these meetings.

Separately, the EU has funded a series of regional seminars, implemented by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) to promote discussions on an ATT. The first two seminars were held in Dakar (April 2009) and Mexico (June 2009). There will be further seminars in Amman, Kuala Lumpur, Addis Ababa and Vienna.
 
Further details on the UN process towards an ATT and submissions from states (including the UK’s views on an Arms Trade Treaty, which were submitted to the UN on 12 March 2007) are available on the UN Disarmament website.

UK Ambassador for Arms Control and Disarmament

John Duncan, Britain's ambassador for multilateral arms control and disarmament, said during the first OEWG:

'A Feasible ATT would be an international effort to deal with a real world issue:
that the absence of common international standards on the import, export and transfer of conventional arms is a contributory factor to conflict, the displacement of people, crime and terrorism, thereby undermining peace, reconciliation, safety, security, stability and sustainable development'.

Read the full statement: Goals and Objectives of a Feasible Arms Trade Treaty [PDF, 30KB]

Find out more about the OWEG and the work of the UK ATT team, led by Ambassador John Duncan, on John Duncan's blog.