UNIDIR has undertaken a study involving an analysis of states' views on an arms trade treaty (ATT) submitted to the Secretary-General during the consultation process that took place during 2007 following the adoption of Resolution A/RES/61/89, Towards an arms trade treaty: establishing common international standards for the import, export and transfer of conventional arms (the ATT Resolution). The study involved a review of states' views and the preparation of a statistical analysis of the elements suggested by states for inclusion in an ATT. The results are contained in UNIDIR's report, Analysis of States' Views on an Arms Trade Treaty.
This report aims to go beyond the Analysis report to explore the implications of states' views on the possible scope of an ATT and the process as a whole. It should be read in conjunction with the Analysis report, which provides the framework for this report, particularly as statistical references used here are drawn from the first report but do not repeat the identities of the included states.
It is hoped that this report will be a valuable resource for governments, non-governmental organizations and academics in helping to understand why and how discussions on an ATT have evolved, what the central issues and obstacles are, and what its scope could and should look like based on the views submitted by states to the Secretary-General.
Citation: Sarah Parker (2008). "Implications of States' Views on an Arms Trade Treaty", UNIDIR, Geneva.