The idea of an arms trade treaty first came from Nobel Peace Laureates, supported by civil society organizations worldwide.

In 2003, the Control Arms Campaign was launched and has since gathered support for the Arms Trade Treaty from over a million people worldwide.

In 2006, Control Arms handed over a global petition called “Million Faces” to the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan 2006.

In December 2006, 153 governments finally voted at the United Nations to start work on developing a global Arms Trade Treaty. Momentum for the treaty has been building ever since.

In 2009 the UN General Assembly launched a time frame for the negotiation of the Arms Trade Treaty. This included one preparatory meeting in 2010 and two in 2011, before the final negotiating conference scheduled for July 2012.

Members with a star (*) by their name are members of the Control Arms Steering Board.

The following organizations are members of the Control Arms coalition:

Action on Armed Violence
Activist
Afghan Landmine Survivors Organization
Africa Peace Forum*
Alliance for Peace and Disability Rights
Amnesty International
Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress*
Arms Control Association (ACA)
Article 36
Asociación para Políticas Públicas (APP)*
Asociacion Transiciones de Personas Discapacitdas de Antigua Guatemala
Assistance Advocacy Access
Campaña Colombiana Contra Minas
Caribbean Coalition for Development and the Reduction of Armed Violence (CDRAV)
Caritas*
CCFD-Terre Solidaire
Center for Women in Governance (CEWIGO)
Centro de Estudios sobre Justicia y Participación (CEJIP)
Cercle des Jeunes pour une Société de Paix (CJSP)
Civil Center for Freedom
Club des Démocrates Algériens
Commission Justice et Paix Belgique Francophone
Communication et Développement Intégral (CDI)
Control Arms Foundation of India
Dar Alsalam Organization
Eastern African Sub Regional Support Initiative for Advancement of Women (EASSI)
Forum for Environment and Development (ForUM)*
Fundació per la Pau
Global Network for Human Development (GOLHD Centre)
Global Potential
Grupo de Práctica em Direitos Humanos – Unipampa
Haiya Alal Falah Movement
HORDE
Human Security Initiative (MAMAN)
IKV Pax Christi
Impact on Lives Africa
Indian Institute for Peace, Disarmament & Environmental Protection
Institute of Human Rights Communication Nepal (IHRICON)
International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA)*
International Peace Bureau
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW)*
Kenya Pastoralist Journalist Network
Kikandwa Rural Communities Development Organization (KIRUCODO)
Landmine Survivors Initiative
Latin American Circle of International Studies
Liberians United to Expose Hidden Weapons
Life Watch
Madaba for Supporting Development
Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network
Mine Action & Human Rights Foundation (MAHRF)
Non-Violence International*
Norwegian Peace Association
Omega Foundation
Oxfam*
Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA)*
Pax Christi Flanders
Pax Christi International
Pax Christi Wallonie-Bruxelles
Permanent Peace Movement*
PIR Center for Policy Studies
PRESS – Save the Children Youth Norway
Project Ploughshares*
Protection against Armaments
Rede Desarma Brasil
Regional Centre for International Development Cooperation
Saferworld*
SERPAZ – Serviço de Paz
Society for Peacebuilding, Research and Integration of Normative Gender (SPRING)
Sou da Paz*
Southern African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD)
Support To Deprived Peoples – SDP
Swedish Fellowship of Reconciliation (SweFor)*
Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society
Tajikistan Centre to Ban Landmines and Cluster Munitions 
The Atlas Alliance
The Centre for Land, Economy & Rights of Women (CLEAR)
Transparency International UK – Defence and Security Programme
Tunisie Libre
Vision GRAM-International
Viva Rio*
War Child Canada
West Africa Network For Peacebuilding – WANEP
West African Action Network on Small Arms (WAANSA)*
Women’s Institute for Alternative Development (WINAD)
Women’s Right to Education Program (WREP)