On 20 June the Geneva Forum, SIPRI and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung held a briefing on the past, present and future of the arms trade treaty (ATT) at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
The briefing provided a first opportunity to take stock of the ATT process; take a broad look at the treaty content; examine its relationship with existing instruments; and discuss immediate next steps to expedite its entry into force.
Presentations were made by Ambassador Roberto Garcia Moritan (Argentina, President of the 2012 UN Conference on the ATT); Ambassador Peter Woolcott (Australia, President of the 2013 UN Conference on the ATT); Sarah Parker (Small Arms Survey); and Dr Paul Holtom (SIPRI).
The final conference on the ATT took place in March 2013, with UN member states given a final chance to achieve consensus on an international treaty to establish the ‘highest possible common international standards for the transfer of conventional arms’.
Read an article by Paul Holtom and Mark Bromley in Arms Control Today entitled Next Steps for the Arms Trade Treaty: Securing Early Entry Into Force. Download a special section (PDF) by Paul Holtom and Mark Bromley on the ATT negotiations in 2012 from the forthcoming SIPRI Yearbook 2013.