Human Rights and Democracy - Official Documents

The Arms Trade Treaty
In 2010, the Government maintained its prominent international position on the Arms
Trade Treaty, following the successful establishment of a UN timetable for
negotiating the treaty. Civil society played an important role in supporting our
leadership in this process. Securing a robust and effective treaty is a priority for the
Government and an essential part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review. In
September, in his speech on “Britain’s Values in a Networked World”, William Hague
specifically highlighted the Arms Trade Treaty as an instrument with the potential to
both promote British values, on issues such as human rights, whilst also benefiting
British industry. The Government will continue to work closely with both industry and
civil society as we pursue a strong treaty.
Negotiations on the treaty began at the first Preparatory Committee meetings in New
York in July, at which we played a full and active role. It proved to be a successful
start to the negotiations, with constructive engagement by the majority of UN
member states. We highlighted human rights and international humanitarian law as
key elements to be considered in the treaty.
There remains a range of views as to what the treaty should contain and how it might
work, and we will continue to work with UN member states to ensure we make the
most effective use of the time we have available before the UN conference in 2012.
We will continue to be a strong advocate for the treaty, and for the inclusion of
human rights and international humanitarian law provisions within it. We will seek to
ensure that small arms and light weapons are also included in the treaty.
Reducing Conflict and Building Stability Overseas
The Conflict Pool
The Conflict Pool is a tri-departmental fund of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
(FCO), the Department for International Development (DFID) and the Ministry of
Defence (MOD) that supports the UK’s efforts to prevent and resolve conflict and
build stability. It brings together expertise and management from the three
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