Arms Trade Treaty - Working Group on Treaty Universalisation
Status of participation in the ATT and universalisation efforts by the President
On behalf of the European Union and its Member States, I would like to thank you for all your efforts to promote universal adherence to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). We also appreciate the work of your predecessors, as well as other present and past Bureau members in making this important instrument more visible and raising global awareness of its objectives.
We warmly welcome the recent accession of Chile as well as the approval of ratification by the Parliament of Brazil.
We take note of the latest status of ratifications provided by the Head of the ATT Secretariat which shows that while the number of States Parties is increasing, further work remains to be done in the Middle East and in Asia, and among major arms exporters and importers, in particular.
We remain convinced that universal adherence to the ATT would make a positive contribution to peace, security and stability, human rights and sustainable development. We strongly support adherence to global rules and the creation of a global level-playing field for the international arms trade. We therefore continue to be active in calling on all States who have not yet done so to sign and ratify the ATT without delay.
Role of regional organizations in Treaty universalisation
The EU and its Member States continue to make an active and substantial contribution to ATT universalisation efforts through bilateral demarches and various outreach and assistance activities.
Today, I would like to share some valuable experience from the implementation of the EU’s three-year ATT Outreach Programme II, which provides support also to non-State Parties and Signatory States to facilitate their accession to the ATT. We are grateful to the German Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA) and Expertise France (EF) for their continued professional implementation of the EU’s Outreach Programme which includes drafting and review of the legislative and regulatory framework of the partner countries, capacity building of national authorities in charge of the implementation of new legislation, and awareness-raising activities among those countries who have not yet signed or ratified. National experts from other EU Member States have also contributed to these capacity building efforts.
Many of our roadmap country partners serve as a model, mentor and inspiration for other countries in their respective regions. For example, Cambodia is striving to become one of the first countries in the ASEAN region to ratify the ATT and has taken a leading role in the promotion of regional legislation on small arms and light weapons. The Philippines, a long-term partner of the programme since 2014, has taken an important step towards accession with the adoption of the Strategic Trade Management Act that integrates Arms Trade Treaty provisions into national law.
Turning to Signatory States in Africa, Cameroon has adopted a comprehensive framework on arms and munitions thus providing a region-wide example. Cameroon has also been active in establishing a sub-regional dialogue with the aim to combat diversion of conventional weapons, building on the existing cooperation frameworks, such as the Lake Chad Basin Commission.
Another positive example, this time from the Latin America region, is Costa Rica. Costa Rica, a State Party, will soon publish its national control list and has very recently signed a new law approving the establishment of a National Control Authority, thereby serving as a model for the whole region. We should also highlight the cooperation between Colombia and Peru who as neighbours share an interest to strengthen their arms exports and arms control policies. A recent sub-regional workshop supported by the EU in Iquitos, Peru from 9 to 10 May 2018 offered a platform for authorities from both countries to discuss further cooperation against illicit trans-border arms trafficking, share best practices to prevent diversion, and exchange experiences to address these challenges and other aspects concerning ATT implementation.
Other universalization activities and a Proposal for Troika system
The EU would like to encourage all actors – governments and parliaments, regional, international and non-governmental organisations, as well as industry, to continue their efforts to promote universalisation and effective implementation of the ATT. We support the proposal of France and Italy to establish a troika system for the ATT Presidency in order to coordinate and further enhance the effectiveness of the universalisation efforts.