The post Marking 10 Years Of The ATT: Successes And Challenges first appeared on Control Arms.
]]>Progress and challenges
Reflecting on a Decade of the Arms Trade Treaty
24 December2024 marks a decade since the ATT entered into force—a milestone in global efforts to bring transparency and accountability to the conventional arms trade.
On December 24, 2024, we will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), a groundbreaking legal instrument that established international standards for regulating conventional arms transfers with the explicit goal of reducing human suffering. This historic milestone is a testament to the tireless efforts of campaigners, governments, and civil society to bring transparency and accountability to the global arms trade. Over the past decade, the ATT has made significant strides, yet it continues to face challenges that require renewed commitment from the international community.
Achievements Over the Decade
Since its entry into force, the ATT has seen significant progress in universalization and implementation.
With 116 States Parties and 26 signatories, the Treaty has gained broad support across all regions of the world. ATT States Parties have undertaken measures to align their national legislation with the Treaty’s provisions, enhancing the regulation of international arms transfers and promoting transparency. For example, some ATT States Parties have established comprehensive national control systems regulating the export, import, transit, and brokering of conventional arms, in compliance with Treaty obligations. Others have implemented export control laws and designated competent national authorities to oversee arms transfers. Additionally, States Parties have adopted national control lists, established mechanisms for end-user certification to prevent the diversion of arms, and strengthened their arms export licensing processes to include comprehensive risk assessments.
These efforts exemplify the ATT community’s commitment to responsible arms trade and the effective implementation of the Treaty’s provisions.
Ongoing Challenges
Despite the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) establishing international standards to regulate arms transfers and reduce human suffering, significant challenges persist. A considerable number of major arms-producing states remain outside the treaty. Reporting compliance has been inconsistent, and some ATT States Parties have not fully adhered to its provisions, undermining its effectiveness. Over the past decade, weapons and munitions have continued to flow into brutal armed conflicts and situations of repression. Notably, some ATT States Parties have approved arms transfers into contexts where serious violations of international law have been documented, including Myanmar, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Sudan, and Yemen.
Control Arms calls for all States Parties to fully adhere to the ATT’s provisions and for the international community to strengthen mechanisms ensuring compliance, thereby upholding the Treaty’s fundamental goal of reducing human suffering.
Looking Forward
As we enter the second decade of the ATT, it is crucial to address these challenges. Enhancing transparency, strengthening accountability mechanisms, and encouraging universalization of the ATT are essential steps toward realizing the treaty’s full potential. The international community must renew its commitment to the ATT’s objectives to ensure it effectively contributes to reducing human suffering and promoting global peace and security.
On this milestone, Control Arms reaffirms its commitment to advocating for robust implementation of the ATT and calls on all States to intensify their efforts to uphold the ATT’s object and purpose: to reduce human suffering. It also urges states to join the Treaty if they have not yet done so, and to ensure its robust and meaningful implementation. By working together, we can continue to transform the global arms trade and make the vision of the ATT a reality: a safer world with less human suffering.
As we reflect on a decade of progress, we look forward to building on prior achievements and addressing ongoing challenges in the years to come.
Other Resources
Warpod: Ten years of the Arms Trade Treaty
Saferworld
🎙️ Reflect on a decade of the Arms Trade Treaty with Saferworld’s latest Warpod episode. Join experts Roy Isbister and Elizabeth Kirkham as they discuss the ATT’s successes, challenges, and future prospects.
Reflections on the Arms Trade Treaty at 10
Rachel Stohl, Stimson
Discover key insights into the successes, challenges, and future priorities of the Arms Trade Treaty as it marks its 10th anniversary in this reflective piece by the Stimson Center
ATT Milestones
Key Arms Trade Treaty Milestones in the last decade.
2013
Adoption of the Arms Trade Treaty
On 2 April 2013, the Arms Trade Treaty was adopted by a vote of 154 in favour, 3 against, and 23 abstentions. It opened for signature on June 3rd, 2013! This marked a historic step towards regulating the international arms trade.
On 3 June 2013, the ATT opened for signatures. Sixty-seven countries sign the treaty on the opening day.
2014
Entry into Force
On 24 September 2014, only a year and a half after it opened for signatures, the ATT reached the 50 required ratifications and triggered the treaty’s entry into force, thus becoming the fastest growing UN treaty.
2015
First Conference of States Parties and Entry into Force
On 24 – 27 August 2015, the First Conference of States Parties (CSP1) was held in Cancun, Mexico and was presided over by Ambassador Jorge Lomónaco of Mexico.
On24 December 2015, the Arms Trade Treaty entered into force with 61 ratifications and 130 signatures.
2019
100 States Parties
On 14 December 2019, The Treaty reaches 100 States Parties, following Mozambique’s ratification.
2024
10th Conference of States Parties
On 19 – 23 August 2024, the Tenth Conference of States Parties (CSP10) of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) was held in Geneva, Switzerland and was presided over by Ambassador Razvan Rusu of Romania.
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]]>The post ATT Regional Actors Handbook first appeared on Control Arms.
]]>The Regional Actors project – which was initiated with the generous support of Germany – takes stock of the work of Regional Organizations to better understand how they contribute to ATT promotion, universalization, and implementation efforts and to identify opportunities for further engagement of Regional Organizations in supporting the ATT.
It is intended as a guide for ATT States Parties to better understand what type of ATT assistance is available within their respective regions. As such the handbook gives a snapshot of the diversity of instruments, policies, tools and activities developed and undertaken in this area by a variety of regional bodies, with a specific focus on the ATT.
It also highlights several areas in which the Regional Organization experience can provide guidance and lessons learned for ATT stakeholders.
Part I – Profiles of Regional Organizations
Using the Small Arms Survey Handbook on “Regional Organizations and the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms (PoA)” as a model, the first part of the ATT Regional Actors Handbook showcases the profiles of 27 regional organizations. These organizations were selected for inclusion in the Handbook based on their engagement with the ATT or related instruments and programs.
Each profile is comprised of two sections:
1. Organization Description
Where applicable, the profiles also include information on regional instruments which share linkages or complementarities with the ATT. This analysis seeks to foster a better understanding of the key synergies and complementarities between the ATT and these instruments, in order to better illustrate the relevance of the broad range of activities and efforts by Regional Organizations to the universalization and implementation of the ATT.
2. Account of ATT-related activities
In this section, the research team looked at 2 key areas: 1) ATT Support and 2) Establishing Transfer Controls.
Given the broad range of assistance covered in this subsection, activities are organized in four types of initiatives 1) National Control System, 2) Legal Assistance, 3) Diversion Prevention and 4) Gender and GBV.
Part II – Key Findings and Recommendations
This section provides a set of general findings and specific recommendations for Regional Organizations, for ATT States Parties and other stakeholders. In particular, the recommendations highlight opportunities through which Regional Organizations could further their engagement in the ATT as well as ways in which member states can partner with Regional Organizations on ATT-related projects.
Annexes
The Handbook also includes three Annexes:
- Annex I provides a snapshot of the information provided in the Regional Organization profiles
- Annex II offers a survey of regional instruments and agreements included in the profiles outlined in Part I with a particular focus on their scope and reporting requirements.
LAUNCH EVENT:
Exploring the Critical Role of Regional Actors in ATT Universalization and Implementation
The post ATT Regional Actors Handbook first appeared on Control Arms.
]]>The post Gender, Conventional Weapons and the Arms Trade Treaty – A 2022 Review first appeared on Control Arms.
]]>A side event organized byControl Arms, Small Arms Survey, UNIDIR and WILPF
the Eighth Conference of States Parties to the ATT
This event provided the opportunity for a wide range of actors from the United Nations to civil society to discuss how they were taking forward the Arms Trade Treaty’s (ATT) obligations and commitments on gender. Ms. Hana Salama, Researcher – UNIDIR, who moderated the discussions, briefly presented the recent publication ‘Gender & the ATT Factsheet’, prepared by UNIDIR and Control Arms, which examines gender across all areas of the ATT. Ms. Salama recalled that under the ATT, gender is not only about gender-based violence (GBV), but is also key to other Treaty provisions, including on the prevention of diversion.
Ms. Vera Kissling, Deputy Head of Export Control and Private Security Services, Division of Security Policy (Department of Foreign Affairs, Switzerland) explained that promotion of gender equality is at the core of Switzerland’s disarmament and non-proliferation policy. This goal will be built on during Switzerland’s membership of the UN Security Council from 2023 to 2024. Ms. Kissling called for enhanced dialogue between government officials, licensing officers in particular, and the civil society on how to implement the Article 7.4 provisions related to GBV.
Ms. Cindy Ebbs, Co-Director at Control Arms, gave an overview of the Control Arms ‘ATT Gender Action Plan’ Project. Acknowledging that the ATT is a critical contribution to global efforts to address GBV, Ms. Ebbs stressed that the ATT represents a significant achievement toward broader UN efforts to mainstream gender issues in global policy and practice. In particular, Ms. Ebbs pointed out that the decisions taken at the Fifth Conference of States Parties (CSP5) to the ATT represented a key step forward and raised the profile of gender and GBV within the context of the ATT. These revolved around three areas:
- Gender-balanced representation in ATT-related decision-making processes;
- Gendered impact of armed violence in the context of the ATT; and
- Implementation of GBV-related risk assessment.
Following up on CSP5, Control Arms has now completed the first phase of its ‘ATT Gender Action Plan’ project. The project explores how gender can be mainstreamed into ATT practice in a more holistic way and through an actionable, effective, and results-based plan, and sets the stage for the CSP5 commitments to take root in the fabric of the CSP for years to come, and for further discussions exploring interlinkages between the ATT and GBV
Ms. Ebbs presented the key project components, which are:
- a collective methodology to monitor progress towards the implementation of CSP5 decisions and recommendations. The methodology provides a comprehensive view of how gender and GBV should be factored into the ATT and related processes.
- an ATT stakeholder survey; and case studies containing examples of positive action. The survey is intended for State Parties and responses will provide valuable information on the implementation of CSP5 gender and GBV related commitments that may not be publicly available. In this regard, the survey is expected to fill existing gaps in knowledge, information sharing, and reporting. The methodology is useful not only for State Parties, but also for signatories to become ATT ‘gender champions’ (and this may faciliate implementation of other Treaty obligations once they become State Parties).
- short case studies on States Parties that demonstrate exceptional work in the gender and GBV areas. In the context of the ATT, highlighting these positive examples can serve as guidance, especially for States that are at different stages with regard to the implementation of gender and GBV commitments and more broadly to their gender evolution.
By developing a solid tool to measure and record progress made on gender and GBV on an annual basis, Control Arms seeks to sustain momentum, to encourage further discussions on the topics of gender and GBV, and to ensure that these issues remain at the forefront of ATT work.
Ms. Mimidou Achakpa, Women’s Right to Education Programme, presented initiatives undertaken to prevent and address the gendered impact of armed violence in Nigeria. After explaining the nexus between insurgency, violence, and gender issues, which is key to understanding and mitigating the effects of conflicts, Ms. Achakpa presented Nigeria’s work to operationalize UNSCR 1325 and the relevant National Action Plan, which is currently being reviewed. Initiatives include the establishment of a Gender Advisor in the Nigeria Police Force, the introduction of gender sensitive programming, and a Guide on Nigerian legislature’s role in advancing the WPS Resolutions, which provides direction in passing gender bills into law.
Ms. Folade Mutota, Executive Director and one of the three founders of the Women’s Institute for Alternative Development (WINAD), spoke about initiatives undertaken in the area of violence reduction at the community level, and the social and gender impact of legislation to control the use of illicit firearms.
Ms Mutota noted that WINAD’s research, A Pilot Study on the Role of Women in Communities: The Case of East Port of Spain is the first and only inquiry into the role of women in reducing, facilitating or preventing armed violence in Trinidad and Tobago and set out to prioritize women’s leadership roles and women’s well-being in violent spaces and understand how women experience violence. WINAD was particularly interested in the transactional nature of the women’s relationships with stakeholders, police and gangs, and found a fairly evolved understanding of the impact of extrinsic motivation and contingent reward.
Ms Mutota underlined that understanding and positioning women’s leadership role in communities requires engagement with the intersecting forms of inequalities and discrimination that are common to women’s lived experience and the masculinized norms related to security which characterize leadership in underserved communities, and situations of conflict.
Ms. Natasa Loizou, Executive Director of the National Controlled Materials Agency of Argentina, explained the role and functions of the newly established Agency. Ms. Loizou spoke about how progress had been made in the area of gender and GBV, which included the adoption of national regulations addressing national programming related to sexual education; the introduction of a legal concept of femicide; creation of a national Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity; and introduction of an inter-ministerial program with the objective of adopting a comprehensive approach to extreme violence motivated by reasons concerning gender.
Ms. Loizou also presented figures from the national registry of femicides, showing that around 25 per cent of femicides are committed with firearms. Ms. Loizou stressed the importance of gathering such gender disaggregated data at the national level.
Mr. Callum Watson, Gender Coordinator at the Small Arms Survey, introduced the Small Arms Survey’s Global Violent Deaths (GVD) database, presenting some figures and trends in violence perpetrated with firearms against women. Mr. Watson also referred to the Small Arms Survey’s Briefing Paper titled, At Whose Risk? Understanding States Parties’ Implementation of Arms Trade Treaty Gender-based Violence Provisions.
One of the main findings of the paper is that no State Party has publicly indicated nor reported denial of transfers based on GBV criteria. Mr. Watson underlined that it is crucial to encourage states to provide details on cases of denial. Mr. Watson also highlighted that it is paramount to empower civil society organizations to contribute to research agendas on gender and GBV topics; to provide capacity building for data collection, analysis, and reporting; and to foster joint processes between the WPS agenda and the ATT.
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]]>The post NEW RELEASE: ATT Gender Action Plan Project first appeared on Control Arms.
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The primary goal of the methodology and the survey, which were launched at CPS8, is to have some accountability and ways to measure how States and other stakeholders are doing in terms of implementing CSP5 decisions and recommendations.
The methodology provides a comprehensive view of how gender and GBV should be factored in within the ATT and related processes. The ATT stakeholder survey is intended for both State Parties and signatories and responses will provide valuable information on the implementation of CSP5 gender and GBV related commitments that may not be publicly available.
The survey is also expected to fill existing gaps in knowledge, information sharing, and reporting. To complement the collective methodology, Control Arms is in the process of developing short case studies on a few States Parties that demonstrate exceptional work in the gender and GBV areas. Highlighting these positive examples can serve as guidance, at the regional and international levels, for States that are at different stages with regard to the implementation of gender and GBV commitments in the context of the ATT, and more broadly to their gender evolution.
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]]>The post The 8th Biennial Meeting of States on the PoA first appeared on Control Arms.
]]>Adopted in 2000, the PoA is a politically (non-legally binding) document that establishes a normative framework aimed to “prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects”. With the adoption of the PoA, UN member states have committed to develop and strengthen national legislation, regulations and systems including transfer controls, stockpile management related to small arms and light weapons in order to prevent their illicit trade and diversion. The PoA was complemented by the adoption of the International Tracing Instrument (ITI) in 2005. The ITI enables States to identify and trace, in a timely and reliable manner, illicit small arms and light weapons.
As agreed at BMS7 last 26–30 July 2021, the main focus of BMS8 was to enhance modalities and procedures of international cooperation assistance. Noting “the benefit of coordinated action, with a view to preventing and reducing the risks of diversion, illicit manufacturing and trafficking of small arms and light weapons” (para. 59), the BMS8 outcome document contains several references to the importance of strengthening cooperation, subregional, regional and cross-regional coordination, promoting information sharing and reinforcing national control measures.
SYNERGIES WITH OTHER INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS AND FRAMEWORKS
One of the main contentions during the BMS8 open debate was the formal recognition of synergies between the PoA and other instruments and frameworks, including the ATT, Firearms Protocol, Women Peace and Security, the Secretary General’s Agenda for Disarmament. A number of states from Europe, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific pointed to the importance of linking the PoA with other international frameworks as a way to ensure harmonization and coordination of implementation efforts at the national and regional level.
In particular, the EU emphasized that the prevention of diversion of illicit small arms and light weapons constitutes the undeniable link between the PoA and ATT, especially with the incoming first meeting of the Diversion Information and Exchange Forum, expected to take place at the Eights Conference of States Parties to the ATT (CSP8). However, other UN Member states, including Cuba, Egypt, Iran, remain firm in their belief that the PoA, which was adopted by consensus, must not be linked to documents which do not benefit from the universal support of all UN member states.
In support of synergies with the ATT and other instruments, the BMS8 final document included in para. 34 a commitment by states to “ensure that international humanitarian law and international human rights law are taken into consideration in national small arms and light weapons transfer decisions.” This paragraph reaffirms and strengthens the original provision in the UNPoA which requires states to assess the risk that the goods will be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of relevant international law. The ATT, through Article 7, includes a list of the potential risks states should and must consider when making an export decision, including whether the arms could be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law or human rights law.
FOCUS ON NEW TECHNOLOGIES
The outcome document also includes provisions related to 3D printing (see 13, 37, 69, 73, 75, 81) and the establishment of an open-ended technical expert group to develop recommendations to fully implement the PoA and ITI in light of recent developments in SALW manufacturing (para 75). Gender mainstreaming was also retained in the final document in para. 9, encouraging states to address the differential impact of the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons on women, men, girls and boys in the implementation of both the PoA and the International Tracing Instrument (ITI). Similarly, the document stressed the importance of equal, meaningful, and effective participation of women (para 50), the collection of data dissaggregated sex, age, and disability (para 51), and the differential impact of illicit SALW on women, men, girls and boys (para 54) while paragraph 53 recognize that “eradicating the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons contributes to combating gender-based violence and sexual violence in conflict.”
AMMUNITION
After much discussion at BMS8, ammunition remains outside of the final document.The only reference to this important issue in the outcome documents is simply the recognition of the establishment of the Open-ended Working Group addressing existing gaps in through-life ammunition management (para 19). References to ammunition were included for the first time in the outcome document of the 3rd Review Conference of the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms (June 2018). However, since then, states, particularly from Latin America and Africa regional groups, have been unsuccessful in securing support for the inclusion of references to ammunition in subsequent outcome documents.
MOVING FORWARD
BMS8 concluded with positive developments with regard to gender and measured progress in terms of incorporating new technologies into its scope. However, its omission of ammunition continues to limit the PoA in following a comprehensive approach toward combating armed violence fueled by the illicit arms trade. Also concerning was the continued firm stance by a number of states to limit reference to consensus-based international instruments, rather than taking an inclusive approach when it comes to synergies with other instruments, limits cooperation among states at national, regional and international level. Failing again this year to directly acknowledge and identify mutually reinforcing international instruments, such as the Arms Trade Treaty and the Firearms Protocol is a missed opportunity.
With the advancement of the technology around the production of SALW, and the ever complex contexts of conflicts all over the world, discussions on consensus around the PoA must expand to include all other existing efforts to stop armed violence. States now should seize the opportunity to build stronger PoA implementation in these and other ways in the upcoming fourth United Nations Conference to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects in 2024 (RevCon 4).
The final BMS8 document, along with the daily briefings, are available through the website of the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA), the official coordinator of civil society participation at BMS8. Access these documents here.
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]]>The post The Philippines joins the Arms Trade Treaty first appeared on Control Arms.
]]>The Philippines also became the first ASEAN state to join the ATT. This was made possible after the Philippines completed its national ratification process with the Senate’s adoption of a resolution in support of the Treaty on 26 January 2022.
The illicit trade and proliferation of arms and ammunition continue to pose a significant challenge to peace and security in the Philippines and the Southeast Asian region. In a tweet posted by the Philippine Mission in New York, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin, Jr. stated that the ATT ratification is in line with the Philippines’ commitment to
“ensure international and regional peace, security, and stability through the regulation of the illicit transfer, flow or diversion of conventional arms using internationally agreed standards.”
The Treaty will officially enter into force for the Philippines on 22 June 2022, exactly 90 days after the instrument of ratification was deposited at the UN. However, its statement at the First ATT Working Group and CSP8 Preparatory Meetings, the Philippines announced that it has already begun preparations to incorporate the ATT into domestic legislation and to submit its ATT initial report.
In 2013, when the Treaty opened for signature, the Philippines was the first Southeast Asian country to do so. In the succeeding years there have been continuous efforts to harmonize national laws and build national capacity for the robust implementation of the ATT in the country. Since 2015, the Philippines benefited from ATT implementation support through the European Union Outreach Programme, a program funded by the European Union and implemented by the German Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA) which provides technical support to non-EU countries to develop and/or strengthen their export control systems.
The Philippines’ ratification of the ATT can serve as an example for the six ASEAN have signed the Treaty but have not yet ratified it: Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. This momentous occasion can also serve as an opportunity for the Phillipines to play a leading role in supporting the universality of the Treaty in the sub-region. In fact, in 2020, The Philippines hosted a sub-regional seminar discussing incentives of ATT ratification and treaty implementation in ASEAN countries. Six other ASEAN states, Brunei, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, and Viet Nam, have yet to join the Treaty.
Control Arms and its members and partners in the Southeast Asian region, stand ready to support the Philippines in implementing the ATT and in promoting its universalization.
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]]>humanitarian impact of this deteriorating security situation.
The post Statement on the Armed Conflict in Ukraine first appeared on Control Arms.
]]>Control Arms condemns Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine and expresses great concern at the humanitarian impact of this deteriorating security situation. We urge all parties to the conflict and those providing military support to respect international law and international humanitarian law, with a view to minimizing civilian harm.
In particular, Control Arms calls upon all states parties to uphold their legally binding commitments under the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) and to uphold its primary object and purpose – to reduce human suffering.
The ATT requires states parties and signatories to prohibit transfers of conventional arms if they have knowledge that they would be used in attacks directed against civilian targets or used to commit or facilitate other war crimes.
Before authorizing any arms transfer, the ATT also requires states parties and signatories to assess the risk that exports of conventional arms could undermine peace and security, or be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law or human rights law. If there is a substantial risk of these negative consequences, the state party shall not authorize the export.
Russia’s military incursion into Ukraine has already resulted in violations of this type and severity. Full compliance with the ATT is especially critical during these challenging times.
Control Arms calls for renewed efforts and constant vigilance by all states who participate in the arms transfer cycle – export, transit and transshipment, import and brokering – to assess the risks and ensure that no arms transfers exacerbate civilian harm in this conflict.
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This Arms Trade Treaty Regional Actor Study highlights key findings, provides lessons learned and sets out recommendations on how ATT stakeholders can continue to foster engagement by regional organizations in ATT universalization and implementation efforts.
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]]>The post ATT States Parties must halt all arms sales to Israel to protect civilians in Gaza first appeared on Control Arms.
]]>For decades, the sustained state-sponsored repression of the Palestinian people by Israel has been marked by periods of armed violence, each time resulting in a heavy toll of civilian casualties and scores of violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. This month, we see yet another escalation borne out of recent incidents of forced eviction and brutal repression by Israeli forces of Palestinian demonstrations around East Jerusalem. Rockets fired into Israel from Gaza by Palestinian armed groups are reported to have killed 12 people. Israel’s aerial campaign has hit over 1,500 targets in Gaza, claiming 219 Palestinian lives. The Israeli attacks have also caused significant damage to civilian infrastructure in Gaza, including residential buildings, a refugee camp and places of worship and have impeded access to food, water and medical care for Gaza residents. Six hospitals and nine health care centers sustained damages, forcing the Gaza Central Laboratory to cease all COVID-19 testing following a nearby airstrike.
Israeli strikes have destroyed buildings and infrastructure in Gaza. Photo credit: UNOCHA/Samar Elouf
Control Arms urges all states that provide arms or military support to Israel and those that purchase arms from Israel — including those developed and used for repression of and armed attacks on Palestinians — to take immediate action to halt all arms transfers.
States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) must lead by example and apply risk assessments in good faith and without prejudice to all potential arms transfers using accurate and relevant indicators. The ATT is built on the premise that, when faced with even the risk of violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law, States Parties are obligated to assess that risk, and then deny arms export licenses and halt weapons transfers – including those in transit, trans-shipment or re-export – that could be used to commit or facilitate such violations.
As stated by the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC), a key risk assessment indicator for all arms transfers is a state’s record of respect for international humanitarian law, and if unavailable, evidence of patterns of human rights violations along with the likelihood of engagement in armed conflict in the future. In the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there exist credible claims of violations of international humanitarian law, including the commission of war crimes, crimes against humanity, indiscriminate use of weapons, targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure, torture, arbitrary arrest and detention. Given the region’s history, without a meaningful political resolution in Israel and Gaza, there is and remains a clear risk that active conflict with similar outcomes will occur yet again, as any meaningful risk assessment would acknowledge.
Exporting states should not wait to halt arms transfers until after the death toll begins to mount. And to prevent further violence, ATT States Parties should continue to implement strict export control policies in line with their obligations under the ATT and extend restrictions even after the situation on the ground has improved.
The situation in Gaza is just one example of the urgent need for states to stop the transfer of arms that are at risk of being used to commit or facilitate violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, all of which serve to compound human suffering. We must not fail to recognize the repression of peaceful protests in Colombia, the continued violence against civilians by the military in Myanmar, and the years-long conflict in Yemen that has caused the greatest of humanitarian disasters. In all of these countries and in many others, a permissive approach to arms transfers continues to fuel persecution, repression and death.
Control Arms once again reminds all States Parties of the ATT’s humanitarian object and purpose and urges its full implementation and application to all transfer decisions — in good faith and without prejudice.
United Nations Statements
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock Statement on the Situation in the OPT and Israel (May 18, 2021)
OHCHR, Gaza-Israel escalation: End violence now, then work to end occupation, say UN experts (May 18, 2021)
UN Secretary-General António Guterres (May 16, 2021), António Guterres Remarks to the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East
UNICEF, Situation in State of Palestine and Israel at dangerous tipping point (May 12, 2021)
Control Arms Members Statements
Saferworld, Saferworld stands in solidarity with all the people of Palestine (May 20, 2021)
Oxfam America, Nearly half a million people out of reach in Gaza (May 18, 2021)
Amnesty International, Israel/ OPT: Pattern of Israeli attacks on residential homes in Gaza must be investigated as war crimes (May 17, 2021)
Amnesty USA, Biden Administration’s Approval Of Weapons Sale To Israel Will Put Civilians At Greater Risk (May 17, 2021)
Save the Children, Almost 60 Children Killed In Gaza In The Last Week Alone (May 16, 2021)
Other resources
Forum on Arms Trade, Biden Administration Arms Sales to Israel
International Federation for Human Rights, The international community must hold Israel responsible for its crimes of apartheid (April 28, 2021)
Human Rights Watch Israel Apartheid, A Threshold Crossed Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution (April 27, 2021)
B’Tselem, A Regime of Jewish Supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea (January 12, 2021)
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]]>The post First Round of ATT CSP7 Preparatory Meetings held Virtually first appeared on Control Arms.
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Ambassador Lansana Gberie of Sierra Leone, President of Seventh Conference of States Parties to the ATT (left) and Mr. Dumisani Dladla, Head of ATT Secretariat
The ATT Working Group Meetings and First Informal Preparatory Meeting for the Seventh Conference of States Parties (CSP7) took place virtually, from 26 – 30 April 2021, providing the first opportunity for interactive engagement on issues related to the Arms Trade Treaty since February 2020. The meetings opened with a presentation of the CSP7 President’s thematic paper on “strengthening efforts to eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons and ensure efficient stockpile management,” which received overwhelming support from ATT stakeholders. The Working Group on Effective Treaty Implementation (WGETI) continued its substantive deliberations through its sub-working groups on Articles 6 and 7 (prohibitions + export & export assessment), Article 9 (Transit & Transshipment), and Article 11 (Diversion).
The Sub-Working Group on Articles 6 and 7 discussed States Parties’ written submissions to the Sub-Working Group on the national interpretation and application of key treaty terms in Articles 6 and 7, including “facilitate”, “overriding risk” and “knowledge at the time of authorization.” Speaking on behalf of the Control Arms Coalition, Mr. Ivan Marques expressed concern with the limited sample of states that provided submissions to the Sub-Working Group — only 20 of 110 (18%) States Parties, almost half of which are members of the European Union. If these results are to be relied upon by the Sub-Working Group in drafting its Voluntary Guide, Control Arms urged the Sub-Working Group to extend the timeframe of the current exercise until more States Parties, and a more representative range of States Parties, are able to contribute.
As this is only the second time the Sub-Working Group on Article 9 has met, the discussions last week provided an initial mapping of select terms that are key to the implementation of Article 9. These include national approaches to the terms ‘transit’ and ‘transhipment’ and understanding of the phrases ‘under its jurisdiction’ and ‘through its territory in accordance with international law.’ Control Arms looks forward to continuing these conversations in this Sub-Working Group toward a better understanding of how states are implementing transit controls.
In discussions regarding diversion, the facilitator of the Sub-Working Group on Article 11 presented a draft paper on “Key Elements of a Process For Assessing the Risk Of Diversion.” While some States Parties welcomed several key elements outlined in the paper, including end-user certificates and the involvement of industry and civil society in efforts to prevent diversion, others noted the need for further clarity on the scope of this document.
The Working Group on Treaty Universalisation (WGTU) was facilitated by Ambassador Lansana Gberie of Sierra Leone in his capacity as CSP7 President, alongside CSP6 President, Ambassador Federico Villegas of Argentina. The meeting opened with an overview of the ATT universalization activities carried out by the two co-Chairs over the past year. Following an update from the Head of the ATT Secretariat, Mr. Dumisani Dladla on the status of ratification and accessions, a number of States and civil society took the floor to share planned initiatives, efforts and financial support of Treaty universality.
The continuing downward trend in ATT initial and annual reporting rates was central to the discussion of the Working Group on Transparency and Reporting (WGTR). The increasing number of confidential reports submitted drew even more concern among States Parties and civil society, as transparency is and remains one of the core purposes of the ATT. Another central topic of discussion in the WGTR last week were the proposed amendments to the ATT reporting templates. Carina Solmirano, on behalf of the ATT Monitor, expressed support for the efforts to remove ambiguous language and improve the user-friendliness of the templates, but noted that more work needs to be done in areas including the disaggregation of data (particularly on small arms and light weapons), amended statements regarding the public availability of reports, the elimination of ‘voluntary’ submission of information in both reporting templates, and methods to improve the accuracy of analysis on gender balance with regard to national points of contact. The WGTR also included a brief discussion on the Diversion Information Exchange Forum (DIEF) including its intended purpose, scope and Terms of Reference.. While the DIEF was intended to meet in-person for the first time at CSP7, due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, the Forum will not meet until CSP8.
The first CSP 7 Informal Preparatory Meeting, held on 30 April, began with an overview of the status of implementation of decisions taken during CSP6. The Preparatory Meeting continued with an overview on the state of the Voluntary Trust Fund (VTF) and summary report by each of the Co-Chairs of the three Working Groups, followed by discussions surrounding issues of financial obligations, status of the ATT Sponsorship Programme and considerations for the CSP7 draft agenda. Shirine Jurdi, on behalf of Control Arms, encouraged States Parties who will put forward their candidacy for ATT CSP Presidency, to consider the appointment of a female President given that all previous Presidents have been men.
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