ai

Tick here for updates about this campaign and further info. about our work.


About the Campaign

After three years' hard work by Control Arms campaigners all around the world, the UN voted in October 2006 in favour of a resolution to start work on an Arms Trade Treaty. The new resolution commits the United Nations to set up a Group of Governmental Experts to establish the basis of “a comprehensive, legally binding instrument establishing common international standards for the import, export and transfer of conventional arms” – An Arms Trade Treaty.

Thanks to pressure from campaigners before the vote, not only did the text of the treaty change to include a direct reference to Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law, but 116 countries agreed to co-sponsor the resolution and 139 countries voted in favour of it. This treaty will have a real impact on the arms trade, and will ultimately prevent weapons ending up in the hands of human rights abusers, and fuelling conflict and poverty.
Join Control Arms today, add your face to the petition.




Support grows for an Arms Trade Treaty

In October, during a meeting of the UN's Disarmament and Security Committee, 139 governments voted in favour of a resolution to start work towards an international Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). Yesterday, this vote was confirmed in the UN's General Assembly, and the Control Arms campaign is delighted that the number of states supporting the ATT increased to 153.

Find out more about the vote and the reaction of campigners

Read the blog by Control Arms campaigners during the UN First Committee Meetings in October

Arms Without Borders: why a globalised trade needs global controls

The globalisation of the arms industry has opened up major loopholes in all current arms export regulations, allowing sales to human rights abusers and countries under arms embargoes.

View an interactive map which shows how companies circumvent arms regulations by selling components and subcontracting manufacturing overseas.

Read the full report: in English, French (PDF).

Caught in the Crossfire

Guy Tillim, Andrew Testa, Jenny Matthews, Tuen Voeten and Zed Nelson are amongst some of the world's top news photographers featured in a new exhibition, Caught in the Crossfire which captures the daily reality of armed violence around the world. The exhibition is running in 16 countries, and will be launched at the UN on 11 October. View an online slideshow of the exhibition.




Control Arms is a campaign jointly run by Amnesty International, IANSA and Oxfam
© Control Arms 2003 - 2006