A Toolkit for African States Negotiating an Arms Trade Treaty

This 2012 guide by the Institute for Security Studies provides a comprehensive reference for African State representatives negotiating the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) at the United Nations. It details the proposed scope of the treaty, including categories of conventional arms and types of international transactions, and outlines the criteria for authorizing arms transfers, such as risks to peace, security, and human rights. The toolkit also examines implementation requirements, including national authority systems, record-keeping, reporting, and the potential role of an Implementation Support Unit, while highlighting existing African regional and subregional obligations.

• The toolkit identifies a debate over the scope of the ATT, contrasting the seven obligatory categories of the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms (UNRCA)—battle tanks, armoured combat vehicles, large-calibre artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, and missiles/missile launchers—with a broader list proposed in the ATT Preparatory Committee Chair's non-paper. This broader list includes small arms, light weapons, ammunition, parts, components, technology, and equipment.
• There is strong support among African States for including small arms and light weapons (SALW) and ammunition in the ATT scope. Over 50 African States supported the inclusion of SALW, and more than 50 African States indicated a preference for the inclusion of ammunition.
• The document highlights the risk of technology transfers, noting that they can enable recipient States to manufacture arms independently, which may later be exported to actors threatening international peace or used after UN Security Council arms embargoes are imposed.
• The toolkit warns that 'less lethal' arms and ammunition, such as electric shock equipment and kinetic impact weapons, can be misused to violate international human rights law, facilitate arbitrary arrests, and infringe upon freedom of expression and assembly.
• The guide outlines proposed criteria for denying arms transfers, including substantial risks that the arms would be used to undermine peace and security, commit serious violations of international humanitarian law, international human rights law, or international criminal law (including genocide and war crimes).
• The toolkit emphasizes that excessive government spending on arms imports can be 'counter-developmental' by prioritizing military needs over essential public services like health, education, and housing, particularly in states with scarce financial resources.
• Effective national arms control requires a competent authority consisting of a political authority to authorize or deny licenses and a national authority to handle implementation, including maintaining records and facilitating inspections.
• The document describes the use of End-User Certificates (EUCs) and Delivery Verification Certificates (DVCs) as key notification tools, though it notes a lack of international standards for EUCs and a tendency for exporting states to neglect verification monitoring.
• The toolkit recommends that states maintain records of all arms authorizations, transfers, and denials for a minimum of ten years, though some suggest longer periods due to the durability of conventional arms.
• The guide discusses the potential for an Implementation Support Unit (ISU) to serve as a repository for annual reports, a clearing-house for assistance, and a coordinator with other international organizations.
• The document notes that African States have existing legally binding obligations to regulate SALW through regional instruments such as the ECOWAS Convention, the Nairobi Protocol, and the SADC Protocol.
• The toolkit identifies a significant gap in UN Register of Conventional Arms (UNRCA) reporting among African States, noting a decline from 17 reporting states in 2002 to only four in 2010.

APA

Lamb, G., Dube, G., Reyskens, M., Tracey, L., & Coetzee, B. (2012). A Toolkit for African States Negotiating an Arms Trade Treaty. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Handbooks-2012-ATT-Toolkit.pdf

Chicago

Lamb, Guy, Gugu Dube, Marina Reyskens, Lauren Tracey, and Ben Coetzee. A Toolkit for African States Negotiating an Arms Trade Treaty. Institute for Security Studies, 2012. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Handbooks-2012-ATT-Toolkit.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lamb |first1=Guy |last2=Dube |first2=Gugu |last3=Reyskens |first3=Marina |last4=Tracey |first4=Lauren |last5=Coetzee |first5=Ben |title=A Toolkit for African States Negotiating an Arms Trade Treaty |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=2012 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Handbooks-2012-ATT-Toolkit.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lamb2012toolkit, author = {Lamb, Guy and Dube, Gugu and Reyskens, Marina and Tracey, Lauren and Coetzee, Ben}, title = {{A Toolkit for African States Negotiating an Arms Trade Treaty}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2012}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Handbooks-2012-ATT-Toolkit.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }