Arms Trade Treaty

The European Union is now trying to come up with an arms trade treaty.

The Commission further hopes that the summit will lead to the start of negotiations on an international arms trade treaty.

Mr President, we support the principle of the proposed international arms trade treaty.

Even with an arms trade treaty, countless illicit weapons would remain in circulation around the world.

The Commission strongly supports opening negotiations on a legally binding arms trade treaty.

Recognising the European Union’s potential to promote best practice around the world, it advocates, among other things, an international arms trade treaty.

I am proud of what Britain has done, but I want to see an international arms trade treaty.

It advocates an international arms trade treaty.

As we say in our resolution, we want to see a comprehensive, rigorous and fully implemented arms trade treaty.

The next item is the Council and Commission statements - Towards an arms trade treaty.

An arms trade treaty would be of great value, for instance in reducing the illicit spread of small arms and light weapons.

Towards an arms trade treaty (debate)

The UN review conference should, of course, start work on a legally-binding international arms trade treaty as soon as its work is complete.

In that same year, an Open-ended Working Group-open to all States-held two meetings on an arms trade treaty.

The preparatory committees were designed to prepare member states, international organizations and non-governmental organizations for the Arms Trade Treaty negotiation in 2012.

Let me commend the honourable Members on the leadership they are showing on the legally binding arms trade treaty to regulate the international trade in conventional arms.

LaPierre wrote the book "The Global War on Your Guns," in which he alerts the U.S. to the supposed threat of the Arms Trade Treaty.

The arms trade treaty, like the PoA, is predicated upon a hypothesis that the illicit trade in small arms is a large and serious problem requiring global action through the UN.

Speaking today the Foreign Office Minister said: "Today in New York the UN will conclude the next stage of negotiations towards a new global Arms Trade Treaty.

The British arms industry already operates to some of the highest standards in the world and the British Defence Manufacturers’ Association has said that it warmly welcomes the principle behind the international arms trade treaty.

As I mentioned before, the Commission, as part of wider EU efforts, strongly supports the opening of negotiations on a legally binding arms trade treaty, within the UN framework - this is important to highlight.

However, I can assure him of our continuing commitment to this issue, not least because my own party was recently re-elected in the United Kingdom on an explicit manifesto commitment to try and take forward progress on an arms trade treaty.

The United Nations, and not the European Union, is the arena in which to pursue an international arms trade treaty and it must include as many countries as possible, and particularly China, if it is to have the desired effect.

Oxfam works on trade justice, fair trade, education, debt and aid, livelihoods, health, HIV/AIDS, gender equality, conflict (campaigning for an international arms trade treaty) and natural disasters, democracy and human rights, and climate change.

That is why I welcome the commitment from my own government in the United Kingdom and from the Finnish Government, as well as the recommendation of the High Level Panel of the United Nations to champion an international arms trade treaty.