DYB2011-Part-II-web

Conventional weapons issues
allowed the Preparatory Committee to maintain the positive atmosphere that
characterized its first session. Nevertheless, States expressed varied views on
many of the substantive issues under consideration by the Committee.
Discussions in the second session revolved around the following issues:
scope; criteria and parameters; and international cooperation and assistance.
On the scope of the eventual treaty, States continued to hold divergent views
on the types of arms and activities that should be covered, particularly on
whether the ATT should cover ammunition, sporting and hunting rifles,
parts and components and technology transfers. With regard to criteria and
parameters that relate to eventual standards to guide States in their decisions
on arms transfers, Member States emphasized the need for the ATT to contain
objective and non-discriminatory criteria that could be applied in a transparent
and predictable manner. The issue of international cooperation and assistance
was less contentious, as there was broad agreement that cooperation among
States, as well as capacity-building assistance to less-developed countries,
would be necessary for the effective implementation of the eventual treaty.
During its third session, the Preparatory Committee focused its
discussions on the issues related to treaty implementation and final provisions.
Discussions focused on questions such as national enforcement measures,
reporting requirements and possible Implementation Support Unit models that
would be needed to support the implementation of the treaty. Some States also
expressed views on the reporting requirements that should be contemplated
under the ATT. States diverged on how prescriptive the ATT should be in
outlining the measures that Governments would need to adopt in order to
exercise effective control over arms transfers. Some favoured that the ATT
should include simple and broad guidelines, while others preferred the treaty
to contain more detailed guidelines.
In order to ensure that the Preparatory Committee would have enough
time to complete all its work, including any remaining substantive work, the
General Assembly, at its sixty-sixth session, decided to extend the duration
and mandate of the last remaining session of the Committee from three to five
days (13 to 17 February 2012).
In each session of the Preparatory Committee, civil society groups were
given the opportunity to participate and make presentations.
Regional meetings organized by the United Nations Institute
for Disarmament Research
The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research continued to
support the ATT process through the organization of the second phase of a
series of regional meetings, entitled “Supporting the Arms Trade Treaty
Negotiations through Regional Discussions and Expertise Sharing”, which
had been launched in July 2010. The aim of the second phase was to help
States develop their views on the elements that should embody the ATT and
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