Promoting discussion on an Arms Trade Treaty

Address by Mr. Sergei A. Ordzhonikidze
Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva
Secretary-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva and Personal Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General to the Conference

Madame Chair
Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Palais des Nations. It is a special pleasure as this is the first seminar to be organized by UNIDIR since you, Madame Chair, took up your position as Director. Your Institute has a special place at the Palais des Nations in supporting – indeed, in inspiring and galvanizing – the many disarmament activities taking place here.

Last year, over 40 weeks of our calendar of meetings at the Palais were occupied by disarmament events, including numerous seminars organized by UNIDIR. These activities provide an important stimulus not only to the Conference on Disarmament but also to civil society who come to this disarmament capital to encourage Governments to strengthen efforts for new multilateral measures, such as an Arms Trade Treaty.

Allow me, first of all, to thank the European Union, which supports the project we are launching today, for its leadership on arms control and disarmament matters. I very much welcome that the European Union backs these causes in a practical manner, in addition to speaking out on the vital themes of arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation, as we have seen in recent months on nuclear disarmament issues. The EU Joint Actions on the Biological Weapons Convention, on universalizing the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons and its Protocols, on universalizing the Mine Ban Convention, and now on the Arms Trade Treaty, are only some of the most recent examples.

An Arms Trade Treaty is not envisaged as a disarmament measure as such, nor to cut across the right of States to self-defence. Rather, its objective would be to ensure that national export controls are more effective in filtering the export of arms in a more concerted and enlightened manner, conscious of the fundamental need to stop weapons reaching those who use them to undermine stability and democracy, harm development and abuse human rights.

The clearest statement of purpose of the very large segment of the international community that supports action against the illicit trafficking of arms is to be found in the General Assembly Resolution on an Arms Trade Treaty, adopted last Christmas Eve. The Resolution commended all States to implement certain recommendations in the United Nations Secretary-General’s report ‘Towards an Arms Trade Treaty’: “in order to ensure that their national systems and internal controls are at the highest possible standards to prevent the diversion of conventional arms from the legal to the illicit market, where they can be used for terrorist acts, organized crime and other criminal activities”.

These are indeed worthy and commendable goals. It has been argued that inconsistencies among current regional and national export licence arrangements cause uncertainties that impact on the ability of states to deliver on the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals.

In this context, the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report prepared by the Group of Governmental Experts on the feasibility of an Arms Trade Treaty form a reasonable and balanced basis for further consideration of the many issues related to the international trade in conventional arms. As you know, the Group concluded that further consideration should be carried out on a step-by-step basis in an open and transparent manner to achieve – on the basis of consensus – a decision that would be beneficial to all Member States.

There is an obvious need to counter the diversion of conventional arms from a legal to an illicit market. Consequently, the Group of Governmental Experts identified a number of issues closely linked to this, such as trade in arms manufactured without licence, supplies to non-State actors, unauthorized re-export and illegal brokerage. Continued consideration of these issues should be conducted within the framework of the United Nations. A decision by consensus, through the United Nations, would add important political weight and would likely strengthen the prospects for implementation.

I have no doubt that the UNIDIR-European Union project to promote discussion on an Arms Trade Treaty will make a valuable contribution and help to mobilize support towards this objective. And as Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament, I hope that it will also contribute to further enhancing the visibility of multilateral disarmament issues in global debates. This is essential both for the maintenance of international peace and security and for development.

Thank you very much.