I. The Arms Trade Treaty

Chapter:

15. Dual-use and arms trade controls

Source:

SIPRI Yearbook 2017

Author(s):

Sibylle Bauer

The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) was adopted via a United Nations General Assembly vote in April 2013 and entered into force on 24 December 2014. The ATT is the first legally binding international agreement to establish standards regulating the trade in conventional arms and preventing their illicit trade.¹ As of 31 January 2017, the ATT had 89 states parties and 130 signatories.² However, states parties are unevenly distributed globally. In 2016, states parties held an Extraordinary Meeting (CSP1.5) and the Second Conference of States Parties (CSP2), both of which were chaired by Ambassador Emmanuel Imohe of Nigeria. Discussions at both meetings largely focused on reporting, implementation assistance and universalization. Efforts by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to discuss specific arms transfers by states parties achieved mixed results.