Guyana signs on to global arms trade treaty

Guyana on Monday joined a number of countries around the world in signing on to the United Nations Global Arms Trade Treaty. The treaty calls on states to explicitly consider the risk that an arms transfer could facilitate serious acts of violence against women and children before allowing it to proceed. This is according to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Chief of Child Protection Susan Bissell.
“This is critical given that weapons are now one of the leading causes of death of children and adolescents in many countries, including many that are not experiencing war,” she added.
Treaty
Guyana’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Ambassador, George Talbot signed on behalf of his country. The treaty will enter into force 90 days after it is ratified by the 50th signatory. It regulates all conventional arms within the following categories: battle tanks, armoured combat vehicles, large-calibre artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles and missile launchers, and small arms and light weapons.
According to the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, the treaty will not do any of the following: interfere with domestic arms commerce or the right to bear arms in member states; ban the export of any type of weapon; harm states’ legitimate right to self- defence; or undermine national arms regulation standards already in place.
The UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng welcomed the inclusion in the treaty of a prohibition on the transfer of arms which would be used in the commission of genocide, crimes against humanity and certain war crimes, and called on states to act quickly to apply this prohibition, pending its entry into force.
“Genocide depends in part on the availability of arms and ammunition,” he said in a statement. “Despite some shortcomings of this treaty, its adoption represents an important step forward in the struggle to prevent genocide and provides a new legal tool to protect those at risk of their lives, and groups threatened with destruction.”
Historic opportunity
Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stressed that countries have a historic opportunity to eliminate excessive and poorly regulated weapons transfers through the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), which opened for signature on Monday at the world body’s headquarters in New York.
“With the ATT, the world has decided to finally put an end to the ‘free-for-all’ nature of international weapons transfers,” Ban said at a special event marking the treaty’s opening for signature.
“The ATT is substantive and robust, but its effectiveness will depend on the willingness of states to ensure its full implementation.” Ban appealed to major arms-trading countries in particular to be “first movers” and bring their national legislation in line with the requirements of the treaty, which will come into force 90 days after it has been ratified by 50 nations.
Although the ATT will not control the domestic weapons use, once ratified, it will require states to establish national regulations to control the transfer of conventional arms and regulate arms brokers, among other objectives.
“The treaty will provide an effective deterrent against excessive and destabilising arms flows, particularly in conflict-prone regions,” Ban said. “It will make it harder for weapons to be diverted into the illicit market, to reach warlords, pirates, terrorists and criminals, or to be used to commit grave human rights abuses or violations of international humanitarian law.”
Arms trade
The ATT is the first international treaty regulating the global arms trade. It was overwhelmingly approved two months ago in the UN General Assembly by a vote of 154 to three – Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Iran and Syria – with 23 abstentions. The vote was the culmination of a decades-long push to halt illegal shipments of weapons such as missiles, combat aircraft and attack helicopters.
Ban underlined that the ATT brings hope “to millions of women, men and children who live in deprivation and fear because of poorly controlled international arms trade and the proliferation of deadly weapons,” and added that it will also enhance the enforcement of arms embargoes imposed by the Security Council and help promote social and economic development.