The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) aims to promote cooperation, transparency, and responsibility in the international arms trade. Implementation and universalization of the ATT remain core objectives for States Parties and the ATT Secretariat. However, implementation of the ATT varies across regions. There are 43 States in the Asia-Pacific region.1 Many of these States are separated by vast oceans, with porous borders vulnerable to the illicit arms trade. This is of particular importance as arms imports are increasing in the region, with Asian States strengthening their national defense capacities and Pacific States strengthening their abilities to contribute to peacekeeping missions. The Pacific has largely preserved its peaceful environment, avoiding large flows of illicit arms into the sub-region. The Solomon Islands, a member of the G7+ fragile states, is seeking to rearm a small group of its security forces 14 years after tensions erupted on the islands. Thus, as the risk of arms flowing into the region looms, the need to engage the region on ATT ratification and implementation becomes ever more pressing.
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