Arms Trade Treaty (ATT): final negotiations

The first international treaty regulating sales of conventional arms is to be finalised in July 2012. NGOs blame the unregulated arms trade for exacerbating armed conflict, terrorist attacks and corruption, as well as for grave violations of human rights and humanitarian law. The core of the ATT consists of a common set of humanitarian and security criteria for exporting countries to apply before every arms sale. Even if the ATT raises big expectations, the consensual procedure chosen for its adoption, coupled with contentious issues dividing participants, means that a 'lowest common denominator' treaty with limited scope and weak implementation may be the result.