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.

Alison Mellon is an attorney from Cape Town, South Africa with a background in commercial and corporate law. It was her interest in the relationship between social development and law, as well as issues of access to justice, led her to become involved in the ATT Legal Response Network.

Below, she reflects on her experience with the ATT process:

“The ATT is an opportunity for countries to act together and make a meaningful impact by regulating the arms trade. ATT Legal is one of the many valuable NGO initiatives advocating for a robust and effective ATT. ATT Legal is aimed at providing access for any delegation, whether from a country or an NGO, to rapid response legal advice during the negotiations.

It is exciting to see the way in which so many lawyers and legal academics from around the world are concerned about and committed to supporting a strong and effective ATT. We have received invaluable support, encouragement and excellent legal advice from the lawyers and legal academics involved in ATT Legal. We have been able to share this advice with many delegations from different countries and organisations.”

  • Read the most recent article from ATT Legal that demonstrates the legal basis for including development criteria in the treaty.
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