What you can do as a goverment

As necessary as it is for the enhancement of human security, effective regulation of the international arms trade will not be established overnight. The adoption of an Arms Trade Treaty is an ambitious goal that can only be achieved through a long-term process aimed at building the public pressure and political will necessary for genuine change. However, there are a number of intermediate steps that states can and must take in order to advance this process:

1.- Strengthen national legislation on the arms trade

One important way in which states can work towards an Arms Trade Treaty is to ensure that their own national legislation is in line with its provisions. Strong national legislation gives states the means to ensure that their territory is never used for irresponsible weapons transfers. Additionally, the development of strict national legislation on arms transfers helps bring states into compliance with their existing responsibilities under international law and helps build momentum for change at the regional and international levels.

2.- Provide training and technical assistance to develop more effective export control systems

Many states that play important roles in the arms trade, either as exporters or transshipment points, lack the legislation, resources or technical capacity to ensure that effective control is exerted over the movement of arms. States and other donor agencies should provide technical assistance for the development of legislation in line with the criteria in the ATT and the resources and training to ensure that it is effectively implemented.

3.- Promote the development of regional agreements

A number of regional organizations like the EU, OSCE, ECOWAS, and OAS as well as other multilateral organizations like the Wassenaar Arrangement, have developed agreements establishing some common criteria and procedures on the arms trade. These agreements are extremely useful in building consensus around central principles, in building confidence between states, and in building momentum at the global level. In regions where such agreements already exist, governments can work to strengthen their provisions and ensure that they are based on the strictest standards of human rights and international humanitarian law. In regions where such agreements do not already exist, governments can work with regional organizations and with civil society groups to establish them.

4.- Promote international processes to better control the trade in weapons

There are a number of steps that states can take at the international level to promote the establishment of an Arms Trade Treaty. These include:

• Actively participating in the follow-up meetings to the UN Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in all its Aspects, and insisting that they consider the question of state responsibility in arms transfers;

• Supporting the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on Small Arms and Human Rights;

• Working with other states to sponsor a General Assembly resolution calling for strict international controls on the trade in weapons and for the international community to move towards an Arms Trade Treaty; and

• Working with like minded governments from other regions to form a "core group" of states committed to advocating for an Arms Trade Treaty.