Statement by Mr John Tilemann, International Security Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to the Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty, as delivered on 16 July 2010.
(as delivered)
Thank you Mr Chair
We appreciate the opportunity to exchange views on the goals and objectives of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). It will be important that States come to share common views on what the ATT tries to achieve, so that through the negotiations we can best tailor its obligations, rights and application. As we have already stated, it is also through substantive discussions on the key elements of the ATT that delegations’ views on the goals and objectives of the ATT will be clarified.
Mr Chair
We consider that the key purpose of an ATT is to eradicate the possibilities for illicit arms trafficking by establishing the highest possible common international standards for the import, export and transfer of conventional arms.
In pursuit of this goal, the Treaty should set out a framework for the legitimate import, export and transfer of conventional arms. In particular, the ATT should create obligations for States to ensure that their national systems and internal controls comply with agreed criteria and standards, so as to eradicate or minimize – through regulation of the legal market – the illicit trade in arms and diversion of conventional arms from the legal market to the illicit market.
The existence of common international standards will help reduce arbitrary behaviour by exporting states and ensure decisions to authorize or not authorize arms transfers have a far greater degree of consistency among states. An ATT should seek to ensure the responsible trading of conventional arms by regulating the process by which states assess and authorize arms transfer decisions.
The ATT should raise barriers to proliferation of conventional weapons. It should also prevent the destabilizing accumulation of arms and consequent impact on regional security.
The contributions made by New Zealand in its circulated statement of 14 July were, in our view, very useful. We would agree that the ATT additionally has a role in strengthening international, regional and national security and enhancing transparency and accountability. The ATT should have a role in preventing arms transfers that contribute to violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, displacement of people, transnational organized crime and terrorism, and which in turn undermine peace, reconciliation, safety, security, stability and sustainable social and economic development. In serving to prevent irresponsible arms transfers, the ATT could also play an important role in reducing human suffering and disproportionate impacts on civilian populations.
Many of these goals and objectives have long been reflected in General Assembly resolutions on the ATT and were discussed at the Group of Governmental Experts and Open-ended Working Group.
Mr Chair
We are open to whether the goals and objectives of the ATT are specifically set out in an article of the ATT or elaborated in a preamble. We look forward to further discussions on this topic as negotiations progress.
Thank you.