Introduction
The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), the first legally binding instrument that regulates the global transfer of conventional weapons, has, at its very core, a focus on transparency. Indeed, reporting is an essential component of State Party obligations, with an entire treaty article dedicated to specific reporting obligations (see Box 1). Though this report focuses on Article 13(3), full reporting of national processes and annual arms transfers are essential to treaty implementation and effectiveness.
The ATT does not contain a specific verification mechanism. Thus, reporting is an essential component to understand how the treaty is being implemented and to develop a clearer picture of the application of ATT articles 6, 7, 8, and 12 (prohibitions, export and export assessment, import, and record keeping). In 2016, ATT-BAP examined the first round of ATT annual reports, analyzing reports submitted by 45 States Parties. In 2017, ATT-BAP analyzed the second round of annual reports submitted by 47 States Parties. This report analyzes the third round of annual reports, covering arms transfers that occurred in the 2017 calendar year. In this third round of reporting, only 51 of the 89 States Parties required to report had done so as of 7 September 2018, more than four months past the 31 May report deadline. This represents a low of 57 percent of States Parties completing their reporting requirements and indicates a worrying trend that States Parties are ignoring their reporting obligations.
In its 2017 report on ATT reporting compliance, ATT-BAP looked at whether ATT reporting represented an increase in transparency. The report demonstrated worrying trends moving away from transparency of the arms trade. While some States Parties do report to the ATT, the ATT has not provided an impetus for greater reporting. Stagnant reporting levels appear to demonstrate that States Parties are less committed to the value of arms transfer transparency than they were three years ago. With some notable exceptions, the core group of States Parties that have been committed to transparency in the arms trade and have reported to either the ATT or UN Register of Conventional Arms (UNROCA) continue to report. But States Parties that do not report to the UNROCA still do not report to the ATT. This report addresses the question: Is ATT reporting living up to expectations?
This report is divided into four main sections. The first section examines the current status of reporting for the ATT’s annual reports on arms exports and imports. The second section identifies trends in annual reporting. The third section looks at the specific information provided in the annual reports on arms exports and imports over the last three years. The fourth section compares the information in the ATT annual reports with information contained in UNROCA annual reports and identifies larger transparency trends.
