Oxfam and Saferworld issued a new report today called “Getting it Right: The Pieces that Matter for an Arms Trade Treaty”. In this report, the two organizations set out the major gaps in the current draft text of the ATT and also include suggestions of how diplomats attending the UN negotiations could fix them. Loopholes in the draft text mean that transfers made under existing defense contracts between Russia and Syria, for example, would not be covered by the treaty.
Oxfam’s Head of Arms Control Anna Macdonald says:
“We have been fighting for a global agreement on the arms trade for years now and the time has come to seal the deal. A treaty to bring the arms trade under control is long overdue – but it must be a treaty with teeth. It is time for states to stand up for a treaty that will make a difference.”
A major weakness in the current draft text is that the sale of ammunition and parts and components are only partially-covered. The global ammunitions industry for small arms and light weapons is worth $4.3bn (£2.78bn), with 12bn bullets produced each year. The report calls for tough controls on their transfer.
“Ammunition is literally the fuel of conflict, ” said Saferworld’s Head of Arms Transfer Controls Roy Isbister. “Without ammunition, the guns fall silent, ” he added.
Click here to read the report and learn more about the other missing pieces in the draft ATT.
Click here to read a new blog from one of the authors.
