Negotiating an Arms Trade Treaty - State Security Versus Human Security

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies discusses the United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) held in July 2012. It examines the tension between prioritizing state security and sovereignty versus human security and the prevention of human suffering in the regulation of conventional arms transfers.

• The United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) took place in New York from 2 to 27 July 2012, aiming to establish regulations for conventional arms. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon characterized the poorly regulated trade in weaponry as a "major obstacle to everything we do".
• African states, including South Africa, are advocating for a comprehensive treaty scope. South Africa specifically argues that the treaty should regulate all military and commercial transfers, including ammunition and small arms and light weapons, asserting that the human cost of these weapons outweighs the administrative burden of regulation.
• An effective treaty would require governments to conduct risk assessments, track arms usage, and prohibit transfers to states under UN arms embargos or those committing serious human rights violations. The negotiations focus on 'goals and objectives', 'scope' (types of weapons and transactions), and 'criteria' (standards for denying exports, such as potential for crimes or violations of international humanitarian law).
• There is a fundamental conflict in the negotiations between delegations seeking a robust treaty to prevent human rights violations and those prioritizing state sovereignty or the legitimacy of the arms trade. The author argues that prioritizing "state security" or arms industry profits over "human security" undermines the objective of alleviating human suffering.

APA

Dube, G. (2012). Negotiating an Arms Trade Treaty - State Security Versus Human Security. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/negotiating-an-arms-trade-treaty-state-security-versus-human-security

Chicago

Dube, Gugu. Negotiating an Arms Trade Treaty - State Security Versus Human Security. Institute for Security Studies, 2012. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/negotiating-an-arms-trade-treaty-state-security-versus-human-security.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dube |first1=Gugu |title=Negotiating an Arms Trade Treaty - State Security Versus Human Security |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=July 2012 |url=https://issafrica.org/iss-today/negotiating-an-arms-trade-treaty-state-security-versus-human-security |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dube2012negotiating, author = {Dube, Gugu}, title = {{Negotiating an Arms Trade Treaty - State Security Versus Human Security}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2012}, month = jul, url = {https://issafrica.org/iss-today/negotiating-an-arms-trade-treaty-state-security-versus-human-security}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }