How would an ATT work?

• The ATT would require states to adopt and implement national mechanisms requiring the express authorization of international transfers of arms.

• The ATT would prohibit the transfer of arms that could be used to seriously violate internationally established standards of human rights, international humanitarian law and non-aggression.

• The ATT would require exporting states to take into account the effect that transferred weapon could have on sustainable development, regional peace and security, or the commission of violent crimes.

An Arms Trade Treaty would be binding

The adoption of international declarations, guidelines, or other voluntary measures are important achievements, and are well worth pursuing. However, experience has shown that in the long run, they do not have the same moral or standard-setting force as do legal instruments. For this reason, such measures must be seen as steps in a longer process, a process that will eventually lead to a binding international agreement.

An Arms Trade Treaty would be universal

Some countries and regions have taken very encouraging steps toward controlling the arms trade and preventing the flow of weapons to abusers. These steps are extremely important and are to be commended. However, because of the international nature of the arms trade, weapons that are cut off from one state can continue to flow from another. For this reason it is crucial that these initiatives be complimented by the development of a global instrument that will ensure that the controls imposed by one state or region are not undermined by another state or region.

The Arms Trade Treaty would be comprehensive

The ATT's principal objective requires states to authorize arms transfers and to set out core, minimum export criteria for use in this process, thereby bringing states into line with their obligations under international law and preventing the most egregious transfers. But the ATT is also conceived of as a framework agreement, which allows more complex or controversial aspects of the arms trade to be treated in subsequent protocols. The ultimate goal is to establish a comprehensive system that will enable states to effectively control all facets of the international weapons trade.

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