ATT “Race to 50” Nearing Finish Line with 8 More States Ratifying

IPPNW co-president Dr. Bob Mtonga (second from left) represented the Control Arms Coalition at a special signing ceremony at the UN in New York June 3rd, when eight more countries ratified the ATT. Photo credit: Champion Hamilton/Champion Eye Media/Control Arms

United Nations, New York City

A year ago yesterday, the pioneering Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) opened for signature. Although to date 118 countries have signed the Treaty, only 32 had ratified it – before yesterday.

To mark the anniversary of the ATT, eight states including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Jamaica, Luxembourg, Samoa and St Vincent and the Grenadines ratified the ATT at a special ceremony at the United Nations headquarters, in New York. This brings the total number of states that have ratified the treaty to 40 – with just ten more to go for the 50 needed for the ATT to enter into force.

IPPNW co-president Dr. Robert Mtonga spoke for the nongovernmental Control Arms Coalition at the event. “The geographic spread of states ratifying today – from Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and the Pacific – shows clearly that this is a treaty with global support. We now need all these states, as well as all others who have signed the ATT, to live up to its aims and implement tough controls on the $85bn arms trade,” said Dr. Mtonga. IPPNW has been active in Control Arms and served on its Steering Board for several years.

“Today’s ceremony marks another significant milestone on the road towards the Arms Trade Treaty – but we are not there yet. Ten more states are needed to ratify for the ATT to enter into force and become international law. We are particularly urging African states, who played a key role in the negotiations, to secure the ATT to now ratify the treaty as soon as possible,” he added.

The eight who ratified yesterday join the growing group of states who have already ratified including major arms exporters France, Germany and the UK.

Under the ATT, states must assess the risks of weapons and ammunition being misused to commit human rights abuses or violations of humanitarian law, before they can authorize transfer.

The ATT is the first internationally-binding agreement to regulate the global trade in arms and ammunition. Hundreds of thousands of people are killed and many more injured each year by armed violence, while millions more live in fear of rape, assault and displacement caused by weapons getting into the wrong hands.