The Arms Trade Treaty: A Practical Guide to National Implementation

212 Pages·2016·1.46 MB·English

The Arms Trade Treaty
A Practical Guide to
National Implementation
Edited by Sarah Parker
A publication prepared with support from the Swiss Federal
Department of Foreign Affairs to the ATT Network
n Copyright
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ati Published in Switzerland by the Copy-edited by Tania Inowlocki
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Gui Internation al and Development Studies, Typeset in Optima by Rick Jones
cal Geneva 2016 Printed in France by Gonnet
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r ISBN 978-2-940548-28-6
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication
may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with-
out the prior permission in writing of the Small
Arms Survey, or as expressly permitted by law, or
under terms agreed with the appropriate repro-
graphics rights organization. Enquiries concerning
reproduction outside the scope of the above should
be sent to the Publications Manager, Small Arms
Survey, at the address below.
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eat Small Arms Survey
e Tr Graduate Institute of International and
ad Development Studies
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About the organizations s
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The Small Arms Survey bo
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The Small Arms Survey is a global centre of excellence whose mandate is to gen-
erate impartial, evidence-based, and policy-relevant knowledge on all aspects of
small arms and armed violence. It is the principal international source of exper-
tise, information, and analysis on small arms and armed violence issues, and acts
as a resource for governments, policy-makers, researchers, and civil society. It
is located in Geneva, Switzerland, at the Graduate Institute of International and
Development Studies.
Small Arms Survey
Maison de la Paix
Chemin Eugène-Rigot 2E
1202 Geneva
Switzerland
p [phone]
f [phone]
e [email protected]
w www.smallarmssurvey.org
The ATT Network
The ATT Network was launched in 2013 by the Geneva Forum and the Geneva
Centre for Security Policy (GCSP). It is now composed of the Graduate Institute’s
Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding (CCDP), the GCSP, the Small
Arms Survey, and the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR).
It serves as an informal platform for information exchange, assisting ATT states
parties, and promoting adherence to and effective implementation of the ATT.

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n About the authors and contributors
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ati Stuart Casey-Maslen is an honorary professor with the Faculty of Law at the
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Gui Guy Lamb is the Director of the Safety and Violence Initiative at the University of
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Pr Anton Martyniuk is an international consultant on arms control and non-
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proliferation.
Tom Nijs is a legal adviser on strategic goods control in the Flanders Department
of Foreign Affairs in Belgium.
Sarah Parker is a senior researcher with the Small Arms Survey.
Ted Seay is a senior policy consultant at the British American Security Information
Council (BASIC) in the United Kingdom.
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Table of contents s
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List of boxes and tables ............................................................................................................. 10
Section 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................. 13
1.1 Context 14
1.2 What is the purpose of this Guide? 14
1.3 Who can benefit from this Guide? 15
1.4 How can the Guide be used? 15
Section 2: Overview of the Arms Trade Treaty ......................................................... 17
2.1 What is the background to the ATT? 18
2.2 What are the core provisions of the Treaty? 22
2.2.1 Aim of the Treaty 22
2.2.2 Scope 22
2.2.3 Implementation 22
2.2.4 Regulation of transfer 23
2.2.5 Diversion 23
2.2.6 Record-keeping 24
2.2.7 Reporting 24
2.2.8 International cooperation and assistance 24
2.2.9 ATT Secretariat 24
2.2.10 Meetings of states parties 25
2.3 How can a state become a party to the ATT? 25
Further resources 27
Acknowledgements 27
Section 3: National control systems ................................................................................ 29
3.1 What is a national control system? 30
3.2 Why is a national control system necessary? 30
3.3 How is a national control system constructed? 30
3.3.1 The authorization process 31
3.3.2 Competent national authorities 34
3.3.3 National points of contact 36
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n 3.4 What is the role of national legislation? 36
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Further resources 47
Acknowledgements 47
Section 5: Export controls ....................................................................................................... 49
5.1 Introduction 50
5.2 What is an export? 50
5.3 What are the options for regulating exports? 51
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5.4.2 What international obligations under international instruments are ‘relevant’? 57
5.4.3 What constitutes ‘knowledge’ for the purposes of Article 6(3)? 59
5.4.4 What is genocide? 59
5.4.5 What are crimes against humanity? 59
5.4.6 What are grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions? 60
5.4.7 What are ‘attacks directed against civilian objects or civilians protected as such’? 60
5.4.8 What other war crimes may be covered? 60
5.5 Export assessment 62
5.5.1 What is an export assessment and when does it need to be reviewed? 62
5.5.2 Who conducts export assessments? 63
5.5.3 What criteria must be applied as part of an export assessment? 63
5.5.4 What sources of information are available to inform an export assessment? 70
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5.6 How are export controls enforced? 70 nts
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Further resources 71 nt
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Section 6: Import controls ...................................................................................................... 73 Ta
6.1 Introduction 74
6.2 What is an import? 74
6.3 What are the options for regulating imports? 75
6.3.1 Licensing and authorization 75
6.3.2 End-user certificates 77
6.3.3 Delivery verification certificates 78
6.3.4 Import licence, EUC, and DVC authentication 79
6.3.5 Which weapons should be controlled? 80
6.3.6 Criminal offences 80
6.3.7 National control lists 81
6.3.8 Simplified procedures for ‘low-risk’ arms imports 81
6.4 How are import controls enforced? 81
Further resources 82
Acknowledgements 82
Section 7: Transit and trans-shipment controls ........................................................ 83
7.1 Introduction 84
7.2 What is transit? 84
7.3 What is trans-shipment? 85
7.4 What are the options for regulating transit and trans-shipment? 86
7.4.1 Licensing and authorization 87
7.4.2 Systematic prior notification requirements 88
7.4.3 Ad hoc controls on potentially illicit or undesirable transfers 88
7.4.4 Relevant factors 89
7.4.5 Which weapons should be controlled? 91
7.4.6 Who should be responsible for complying with obligations? 91
7.4.7 Administrative procedures and required documentation 94
7.5 How are transit and trans-shipment controls enforced? 97
7.5.1 Open communication and information exchange 97
7.5.2 A clear focus on potentially problematic transit and trans-shipment transactions 97
7.5.3 A robust system of protective measures 98
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8.3.6 Competent authorities 113
8.4 How are brokering controls enforced? 114
Further resources 115
Acknowledgements 115
Section 9: Diversion ................................................................................................................. 117
9.1 Introduction 118
aty 9.2 What is diversion? 118
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9.3.3 Preventing and addressing national stockpile diversion 128
9.4 What is the role of transparency in preventing diversion? 132
9.4.1 Information on authorized arms transfers 132
9.4.2 Information on export control regimes 133
9.4.3 Information on diversion and export control violations 133
9.5 How can the risk of diversion be assessed? 134
9.5.1 What criteria could be applied to assess the risk of diversion? 134
9.5.2 What sources of information are available on diversion risks? 134
9.6 What mitigation measures can be taken? 139
Further resources 140
Acknowledgements 141
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Section 10: Record-keeping ................................................................................................ 143 nts
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10.1 Introduction 144 nt
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10.2 What records should be kept under the ATT? 144 of
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10.2.1 What types of transfers should be recorded? 144 a
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10.2.2 With respect to which items should transfers be recorded? 145
10.2.3 What information should be recorded? 146
10.3 What are the options for storing records? 148
10.4 How long must records be kept? 149
10.5 Who is responsible for keeping records? 149
10.5.1 The state 149
10.5.2 Companies and individuals engaged in transfers 151
Further resources 152
Acknowledgements 152
Section 11: Reporting .............................................................................................................. 153
11.1 Introduction 154
11.2 What must states parties report on under the ATT? 154
11.2.1 Implementation reports 154
11.2.2 Report on measures to address diversion 156
11.2.3 Annual report 157
11.3 What is the appropriate format for reports? 160
11.4 How are reports submitted to the ATT Secretariat? 160
11.5 Will reports be publicly available? 160
Further resources 160
Acknowledgements 161
End matter ....................................................................................................................................... 163
List of abbreviations 164
Endnotes 165
Bibliography 169
Annexe: The Arms Trade Treaty .......................................................................................... 179
Index ................................................................................................................................................... 197
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n List of boxes and tables
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5.1 What are ‘re-exports’ and ‘re-transfers’?
Are they covered by the Treaty? 50
6.1 Definitions: end use and end user 77
7.1 What is the difference between ‘transit’ and ‘trans-shipment’? 86
7.2 Actors in the transit and trans-shipment process 92
7.3 The right of innocent passage and its relationship to
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9.2 Satellite tracking of arms shipments 127
9.3 Lot-marking to prevent theft of ammunition 130
9.4 Elements to consider when assessing the risk of diversion 135
10.1 Checklist of information on arms transfers to be recorded 147
10.2 Specialized record-keeping software for arms transfers 148
10.3 Questions and guidelines for record-keeping and the
traceability of exports and transfers 151
11.1 Authorized vs. actual transfers 156
11.2 The UN Register of Conventional Arms 158
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