Control Arms Campaign

On April 2, 2013 the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to adopt an international Arms Trade Treaty.

At the end of the decade, after successfully lobbying to bring about the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exporters, civil society groups worked with a group of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates to draft proposals for the regulation of the international arms trade.

In 2001, they began to circulate a "Draft Framework Convention on International Arms Transfers" and sought the support of governments around the world.

[6] States finally met In 2012 and 2013 to negotiate an ATT, all the while receiving significant input from civil society groups including Control Arms.

The campaign, with teams focusing on legal and policy issues, has also provided expertise and support to states with limited resources at the United Nations.

In particular, representatives of the campaign participated in both UN negotiating conferences in July 2012 and March 2013, including making presentations on the views of civil society during plenary sessions.

Ban Ki-moon said that he commended "the members of civil society for their tireless campaigns, expert contributions and unwavering support".

[10] In a statement given whilst signing the Arms Trade Treaty as Australian Ambassador to the UN, the President of the final conference, Peter Woolcott, said that "[s]tates did not do this alone.