The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) was adopted in 2013 with the purpose of establishing common international standards to regulate the international trade in conventional arms and to prevent and eradicate their diversion into the illicit trade. As enunciated in Article 1 of the Treaty, the ATT is intended to contribute to international and regional peace, security, and stability; reduce human suffering; and promote cooperation, transparency, and responsible action by States Parties. The ATT contains a variety of obligations to fulfill this object and purpose. For the Asia-Pacific region, the ATT provides a significant opportunity to highlight and address issues of concern. The Arms Trade Treaty Baseline Assessment Project (ATT-BAP) has participated in several workshops across the region, which have involved the participation of States Parties, signatories and non-signatories. Participants were invited to analyze their national systems against the provisions contained in the ATT and to undertake a baseline assessment or gap analysis of their national transfer control systems. The workshops identified several challenges to be addressed by States in the Asia-Pacific region that seek to effectively implement the ATT:

• Outdated legislation;
• Limited human resources;
• Lack of x-ray machines at border posts; and
• Limitations in record keeping and reporting systems and procedures.

This report examines the status of, and challenges to, ATT implementation in eleven States in the Asia-Pacific region – including States Parties, signatories, and States that have yet to join the Treaty. In total, six States in the region are ATT States Parties: Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Samoa, South Korea, and Tuvalu. A further eleven States in the region are signatories of the Treaty. Despite the small number of ATT States Parties in the Asia-Pacific region, States in the region are vested in understanding the ATT obligations and their capacities to implement the ATT once they become States Parties. Moreover, non-signatories, such as Fiji, have been actively deepening their understandings of ATT obligations. For example, Fiji has participated in every Conference of States Parties (CSP) as an observer. In addition, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea have examined their current compliance with ATT obligations in the form of a gap analysis prior to undertaking the internal process of joining the Treaty. In short, although there are only six States Parties in the region, there is considerable interest in the ATT across the region from public servants, as the region continues to suffer from a lack of political will.

This report identifies the challenges in ATT implementation for the States in the Asia-Pacific region, with emphasis on Pacific Island States. The report is primarily focused on Pacific Island States due to their interest in participating in implementation workshops. Moreover, the challenges for the Pacific Islands – the human resource challenges, in particular – are not necessarily the same challenges faced by Asian States. In Asia, the main impediment to ATT implementation is political resistance and lack of political will. The report focuses on reporting and record keeping challenges, and identifies the assistance needs for the region to effectively implement the ATT.

The report is based on the information obtained from the following sources:

• Initial reports on measures to implement the ATT submitted by Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and Samoa
• Workshops held in partnership with the Centre for Armed Violence Reduction’s Pacific Small Arms Action Group (PSAAG) within the Pacific region in Fiji and Solomon Islands
• Questionnaires developed and distributed by ATT-BAP, and received from: Australia, Fiji, Japan, Kiribati, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.