On 8–9 September Dr Sibylle Bauer, Director of the SIPRI Dual-use and Arms Trade Control Programme, attended the first round of informal consultations of the preparatory process towards the First Conference of States Parties (CSP1) of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) in Mexico City.
During the meeting, representatives of 70 signatory and ratifying states, officials from regional and international organizations and members of civil society that have been supportive of the Treaty discussed substantive issues and the roadmap towards 1CSP.
Prior to the meeting participants were also given copies of a new SIPRI report authored by Sibylle Bauer, Paul Beijer (who has been the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs' representative for the ATT process since 2010) and SIPRI Dual-use and Arms Trade Control Programme co-Director Mark Bromley.
The paper, 'The Arms Trade Treaty: challenges for the First Conference of States Parties', outlines the various options for key aspects of ATT implementation and draws relevant lessons from existing arms control and export control instruments.
On 25 September a group of eight states—Argentina, the Bahamas, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Saint Lucia, Senegal and Uruguay— deposited their instruments of ratification for the ATT, bringing the total number of ratifying states to 53. The ATT will therefore enter into force on 24 December 2014—90 days after the 50th ratification.
For more information on 1CSP and SIPRI's work on the ATT contact Sibylle Bauer or Mark Bromley.