During the second week of the UN General Assembly’s First Committee session, Control Arms sponsored “Finishing the Job: Delivering a Bullet-Proof Arms Trade Treaty”. This focused on the substance and future of the ATT. The event was co-hosted by the Permanent Mission of Trinidad and Tobago to the UN and the Permanent Mission of Mexico to the UN and featured high-level representatives from both countries. It was an opportunity for the coalition to present a new report that outlines how states can “close the loopholes” in the draft treaty text in future negotiations.
Dr. Roberto Dondisch, the Government of Mexico’s chief negotiator on the ATT , delivered the opening remarks noting that progress has been made in the negotiating process, but more remains to be done. The world must proceed carefully to ensure that a robust treaty is agreed upon in the near future. His counterpart from Trinidad and Tobago, Ambassador Eden Charles, agreed with Dr. Dondisch’s assessment. He also made strong remarks on the need to incorporate ammunition in the Arms Trade Treaty in a more impactful way, noting the current status of ammo in the draft treaty is “deficient.” The lack of mention of ammunition under the treaty’s scope is one of the largest “missing pieces” identified by a large majority of countries as well as civil society.
Representatives from non-governmental organizations also made presentations specific ways in which the draft treaty text can be strengthened in order to finish the job and conclude an ATT that saves lives and protects livelihoods. Deepayan Basu Ray (Oxfam), Natalie Weizman (International Committee of the Red Cross), and Roy Isbister (Saferworld) spoke about the need to strengthen the substance of the treaty, covering topics such as language surrounding genocide, strengthening scope and criteria, and improving reporting mechanisms on the text.
