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Global Arms Trade
Treaty - UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Hails Entry into Force
GENEVA (23
December 2014) – UN Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein on
Tuesday hailed the imminent entry into force of the UN Arms Trade Treaty (ATT)
as a landmark step in curbing the human rights violations that stem from the
poorly regulated international trade in conventional weapons.
“The ATT provides a human rights framework for States to evaluate transfers of
conventional arms, ammunition and parts, and so end the flow of weaponry that
may be used to commit atrocities and other serious human rights violations,”
said High Commissioner Zeid.
The ATT, the first treaty regulating the international trade in conventional
arms, comes into force on 24 December, having been ratified by the requisite
50th state in September*. States that have ratified the ATT must assess the
impact of any arms transfer on human rights and international humanitarian law.
“The lax regulations covering the trade in conventional weapons and the
consequent widespread availability and misuse of arms have had a huge human
cost. The unregulated arms trade is one of the main drivers of armed conflict
and violence, contributing and facilitating the commission of human rights and
humanitarian law violations,” Zeid said.
“One of the fundamental purposes of the Treaty is to reduce human suffering by
establishing the highest possible common international standards for regulating
or improving the international trade in conventional arms,” he added.
The High Commissioner called on all States that have not ratified the ATT to do
so and to apply the treaty’s provisions to the broadest range of conventional
arms.
“The ATT is a tool for States to prevent the violence and insecurity resulting
from the flow of arms, and in so doing to fulfil their human rights
obligations,” Zeid said.
States that are party to the ATT should not authorise any transfer if they have
knowledge that the arms would contribute to genocide, crimes against humanity
or war crimes. In addition, if there is an overriding risk that exported arms
could be used to commit or facilitate a serious human rights violation or a
serious violation of international humanitarian law, then such transfers should
be stopped.
The work of the UN human rights system, including the OHCHR, the UN Treaty
Bodies, the Human Rights Council mandate holders and the Universal Periodic Review,
can provide guidance for States on assessing the impact on international human
rights law and humanitarian law of any arms transfer, the High Commissioner
noted.
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UNODA – United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs
http://www.un.org/disarmament/ATT/
THE UN ARMS TRADE TREATY
*Full Text
*Ratifications & Signatures by Member States
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http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2013/4/statement-by-lakshmi-puri-on-arms-trade-ban
UN WOMEN STATEMENT ON THE ADOPTION OF THE UN ARMS TRADE
TREATY
By Ms. Lakshmi Puri, UN Women Deputy Executive
Director, Intergovernmental Support & Strategic Partnerships Bureau
Assistant - Secretary-General of the United Nations
03 April 2013 - UN Women welcomes the adoption of the
text of an Arms Trade Treaty yesterday in New York and congratulates Member
States and Non-Governmental Organizations that lobbied for this important
framework. In particular, UN Women hails the inclusion of specific criteria on
gender-based violence in article 7.4, requiring exporting State parties to
consider the risks of arms being used to “commit or facilitate serious acts of
gender-based violence or serious acts of violence against women.”
The ATT marks a significant step towards regulating licit arms trades, adding
to the existing UN disarmament frameworks. In addition, the agreed conclusions
of the 57th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, which concluded
on March 15, acknowledged the relationship between the “illicit use of, and
illicit trade in, small arms and light weapons and aggravated violence against
women and girls.”
The global arms trade must not be a means of aggravating the already
catastrophic levels of violence against women around the world, including
during conflict and post-conflict. However, UN Women underscores that
women are not just of importance to the Arms Trade Treaty as victims of armed
violence, but also as peacebuilders and decision-makers.
Women’s crucial role in promoting peace and security, recognized in Security Council
resolution 1325 (2000) and subsequent resolutions, must be
recognized in all mechanisms for the monitoring and management of the arms
trade.