As part of the “100 Days of Speaking Out!”, a countdown to the treaty negotiations, Control Arms will regularly feature stories and profiles of different people who support a bulletproof ATT.
Cynthia L. Ebbs is a Georgetown University Law Center graduate and holds an M.A. in International Affairs from American University’s School of International Service. While maintaining her practice as a commercial litigator in New York City, she provides legal assistance on a pro bono basis to the Public International Law and Policy Group (PILPG) on issues involving peace negotiations, post-conflict constitutions and transitional justice. Adding to her pro bono work, she is now working closely with the Arms Trade Treaty Legal Response Network in preparation for the July Treaty Conference at the United Nations:
“One of the most important aspects of the ATT is its incorporation of already-accepted human rights and humanitarian legal principles. Requiring a state to consider human rights and humanitarian criteria in the arms trade context further elevates the significance and extends the reach of human rights and humanitarian law into the trade and economic sectors. With human rights and humanitarian law firmly in place, not only will the ATT limit the flow of weapons that directly threaten the rights and lives of civilians, it will provide for more efficient and effective transitional governance in post-conflict situations. I am honored to be a part of the legal team supporting the development of a treaty that will have such a positive and meaningful impact.”
