“We call on you to have courage. To make the changes based not on what is easy but on what is right – and desperately needed. Not within these walls, but outside in the real world. Our message to you is this: you have one chance, please get it right.”
Control Arms Coalition advocates, representing millions of supporters worldwide, addressed decision-makers at the UN last night. Their speeches marked one of the final opportunities to influence delegates before the second treaty revision, expected tonight.
Addressing a packed room, Control Arm’s Campaign Manager Allison Pytlak began by reminding those present of the human cost of an unregulated arms trade – more than 325, 000 people have lost their lives to armed violence since the Diplomatic Conference failed to reach an agreement last July. She called on delegates to have the courage to “make the changes based not on what is easy but on what is right – and desperately needed. Not within these walls but outside in the real world.”
Geoffrey Duke gave the perspective from his home country South Sudan, a country which has suffered more than most from armed violence and conflict. He offered a powerful reminder of the importance of including ammunition in the treaty: “Without bullets, the guns fall silent.”
Salil Shetty, of Amnesty International, was unflinching in his message to diplomats: “If you do not commit to drafting and adopting a treaty that prevents atrocities then you will have failed to seize this historic opportunity to save lives and prevent suffering.”
Deepayan Basu Ray from Oxfam called for improvements to the criteria used to assess arms transfers – this must include the risk of diversion, corruption, gender based violence and corruption, in addition to violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. Clarity and comprehensiveness – not confusion and cloudiness – will make the ATT impactful
Daniel Mack of Brazil’s Instituto Sou da Paz pressed for strong implementation measures and public reporting, not secret reporting.
UN Humanitarian Coordinator, Valerie Amos, representing 6 UN Agencies also spoke yesterday, giving a powerful statement asking delegates “to place the humanitarian, human rights and development concerns at the forefront” and calling for changes to the text including all types of arms transfer, all conventional arms and ammunition, and a clear requirement not to authorize transfers where there is a substantial risk of violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.
