Progressing Towards an Arms Trade Treaty

The document advocates for a comprehensive Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) to establish common international standards for the transfer of conventional arms, shifting the focus from traditional state security to human security and human rights. It argues that an ATT would fill gaps in existing non-binding guidelines and narrow treaties by codifying risk assessment criteria based on international law. The authors demonstrate the feasibility of such a system by drawing analogies to risk assessment practices in human rights, environmental, and trade law, while addressing opposition from some arms-supplying states.

• The primary goal of an ATT is to establish a comprehensive, legally binding international mechanism to ensure a more responsible legal trade in conventional arms, balancing states' rights to acquire weapons with their obligations under the UN Charter and international law.
• An ATT would differ from existing controls by regulating the transfer of a broad range of conventional arms rather than focusing only on weapons of mass destruction or specific categories like small arms and light weapons (SALW).
• There is significant international momentum for the treaty, evidenced by 153 UN General Assembly member states voting in favour of Resolution 61/89 in December 2006 to initiate the process.
• The report identifies a normative shift in arms control, moving from a traditional state-security framework toward a human security approach that prioritizes the human rights of potential victims.
• The proposed structure of an ATT relies on a combination of clear international norms and domestic obligations, requiring states to implement licensing, monitoring, and case-by-case risk assessments.
• International human rights law is presented as the most critical criterion for assessing arms transfers, as states already have legal obligations to ensure they do not facilitate internationally wrongful acts by other states.
• The authors argue that objective risk assessment is feasible by citing precedents in other legal fields: the 'substantial risk' standards in the Convention against Torture and the 1951 Refugee Convention, the 'precautionary principle' in environmental law, and 'specificity' requirements in WTO sanitary and phytosanitary measures.
• Opposition to the ATT primarily comes from some arms-supplying states, such as Russia, India, Pakistan, Egypt, and China, who argue that existing instruments are sufficient or that the initiative is premature.

APA

Wallacher, H., & da Silva, C. (2008). Progressing Towards an Arms Trade Treaty. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/cec4fc7b-d674-412d-b921-90d2f0f3fdb2/da Silva and Wallacher 2008 Progressing Towards an Arms Trade Treaty PRIO Paper.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Wallacher, Hilde, and Clare da Silva. Progressing Towards an Arms Trade Treaty. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2008. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/cec4fc7b-d674-412d-b921-90d2f0f3fdb2/da Silva and Wallacher 2008 Progressing Towards an Arms Trade Treaty PRIO Paper.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Wallacher |first1=Hilde |last2=da Silva |first2=Clare |title=Progressing Towards an Arms Trade Treaty |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=2008 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/cec4fc7b-d674-412d-b921-90d2f0f3fdb2/da Silva and Wallacher 2008 Progressing Towards an Arms Trade Treaty PRIO Paper.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wallacher2008progressing, author = {Wallacher, Hilde and da Silva, Clare}, title = {{Progressing Towards an Arms Trade Treaty}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2008}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/cec4fc7b-d674-412d-b921-90d2f0f3fdb2/da Silva and Wallacher 2008 Progressing Towards an Arms Trade Treaty PRIO Paper.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }