Reviewing 2016 ATT Annual Reports on Arms Exports and Imports

Analysis of Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) annual reports covering weapons imports and exports during the 2015 calendar year

In 2016, ATT States Parties submitted their first annual reports from States Parties covering arms exports and imports that occurred in 2015. This report analyzes the first annual reports that were received by the ATT Secretariat and examines whether these first reports contributed to an increase in transparency in the international arms trade. The report further highlights good practice for future reporting processes and efforts.

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Introduction

The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) seeks to promote cooperation, transparency, and responsible action in the international arms trade. Article 13(3) of the ATT requires States Parties to provide an annual report containing information on authorizations or actual exports and imports of the eight categories of conventional arms contained in Article 2(1) of the Treaty (hereafter referred to as “annual report”). The first ATT annual reports for 63 States Parties were due to be submitted to the ATT Secretariat by 31 May 2016, providing information on either authorizations or actual exports and imports of conventional arms that took place during the 2015 calendar year. This ATT-Baseline Assessment Project (ATT-BAP) report analyzes the annual reports that were received by the ATT Secretariat by 31 August 2016 and publicly displayed on the ATT Secretariat’s website. The analysis addresses the following questions:

  • Do the first ATT annual reports contribute to an increase in transparency in the international arms trade?
  • What types of information are States Parties providing on their arms exports and imports?

This report is divided into four sections. The first section outlines the rationale for and purpose of the annual reports on arms exports and imports. The second section discusses the process for developing a standardized reporting form for States Parties to use in order to fulfill their obligations to provide an annual report to the Secretariat. This section also compares the contents of the provisional reporting template with the contents of the UN Register of Conventional Arms (UNROCA) standardized forms for reporting transfers of seven categories of conventional arms and providing background information on international transfers of small arms and light weapons (SALW). The third section provides an overview of the contents of the first ATT annual reports. This section considers the following types of information: reports on exports of the first seven categories of conventional arms contained in Article 2(1); reports on imports of the same categories; reports on exports of SALW; and reports on imports of SALW. The report concludes with an analysis of UNROCA reporting as compared to the ATT annual reports as well as highlighting good practice for future reporting efforts.

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