The 2012 Arms Trade Treaty: Controversy, compromise and disappointment

This article, written by Saferworld’s Elizabeth Kirkham, first appeared in the September 2012 edition of Disarmament Times, a publication by the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace and Security. It looks back over the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) process — from its inception in the form of UN General Assembly resolution 61/89 of 18 December 2006 to a July 2012 Diplomatic Conference to negotiate a treaty – noting how much progress was made in a comparatively short period of time.

Click here to read the English version of the article, or here for the Chinese version.

We also have available a Chinese translation of Melissa Gillis's (editor of Disarmament Times) review of the implementation of the U.N. Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons.

“The draft Treaty on the table by the end of the Diplomatic Conference was not perfect, by any means; but it was undoubtedly stronger than many had expected, given the complexity of the issues and, crucially, the constraints of consensus decision-making.”

Saferworld's Elizabeth Kirkham on the draft Arms Trade Treaty