Alan Charlton

The UK and the Arms Trade Treaty

This is a high priority for the UK.

We know that illegal arms have stoked many of the conflicts that have blighted the world in recent decades. And these weapons will often be circulated from one conflict zone to the next. These conflicts undermine democracy and development leading to the suffering of millions. In many countries, we will not make progress on achieving the Millenium Development Goals while ongoing conflicts undermine the stability of daily life.

You can find out more about our policy through the FCO website  and short clips on YouTube of our event in September 2008 that launched our campaign.

When I say it is a priority for the UK, I do not mean only for the Governemnt. Our arms industry recognise the need for strong global export criteria to deter the abuse of weapons and create a level playing field for arms manufacturers. Our civil society (including British NGOs and churches) are active globally campaigning on this. We have brought this coalition together in our campaiging at the UN.

I recommend you visit my colleague's blog, John Duncan (Ambassador for Multilateral Arms Control and Disarmament at the UN in Geneva), to find out more about our campaign You will also be able to read guest contributions on his blog from UK industry and Amnesty International as well as how he sees progress on the negotiations.

Another interesting blog I recommend is the Foreign Secretary's which is also discussing the Arms Trade Treaty.

Posted at 11:15 08 Outubro 2009 by Alan Charlton  |  Comentário [0]