UNRCPD, Philippines commence Second Asia Regional Meeting to Facilitate Dialogue on the Arms Trade Treaty

The Second Asian Regional Meeting to Facilitate Dialogue on the Arms Trade Treaty, will take place in Manila, Philippines, from 26 to 27 November 2013.

This event is organized jointly by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, through its Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific, and the Government of the Philippines. Over 50 senior level representatives from Governments, regional organizations in Asia and from the United Nations will participate in the meeting.

The meeting will focus on facilitating dialogue in Asia on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), including on its ratification and implementation. This landmark treaty, regulating the international trade in conventional arms, was opened for signature at the United Nations on 3 June 2013. Globally, 114 States have signed the ATT while 8 States have ratified the Treaty. In the Asian region, 14 countries have signed the Treaty, though none have yet ratified. The Treaty will enter into force when 50 States have ratified it.

The ATT is the first-ever global international treaty on the trade in conventional arms. This legally binding instrument aims at establishing common standards for the import, export and transfer of conventional arms. This meeting is a follow-up to the earlier meeting held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in February 2013. That meeting was held to assist Asian States in their preparation for the Final Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty.

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See full Press Release here. [source: UNODA ]