The first ever treaty regulating the international arms trade, estimated to be worth US$60 bn per annum, has been passed by the UN general assembly, with a vote of 154 to three with 23 abstentions.
It has taken more than a decade to get the vote through. While many countries do already control arms exports, there has never been an international treaty regulating the arms trade. The treaty does not control domestic use of weapons, but it does call for all countries to control the transfer of arms, parts and components and to regulate arms brokers through national regulations.
It is hoped that the treaty will make it more difficult for terrorists, insurgents and organised criminal groups to access weapons. The only countries to vote ‘no’ were Iran, North Korea and Syria.
Iran and North Korea are under UN arms embargoes, while Syria is under US and EU sanctions, so this result came as no surprise.
A spokesperson for Amnesty International said that all three of the countries that voted against the motion “have abysmal human rights records, having even used arms against their own citizens”.
