Introduction
The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is the first global, legally-binding instrument to regulate the international trade in conventional arms. The treaty, which entered into force in 2014, aims to mitigate the harm caused by irresponsible and illicit arms transfers by establishing common standards for all international transfers of conventional arms.
Transparency is the cornerstone of the ATT. Article 1 of the treaty includes “promoting cooperation, transparency and responsible action by States Parties in the international trade in conventional arms, thereby building confidence among States Parties” as an element of the treaty’s object and purpose.1ATT Secretariat, “Treaty Text.” https://thearmstradetreaty.org/treaty-text.html?templateId=209884. In support of its transparency aims, the treaty requires two mandatory reports. ATT States Parties are required to develop an initial report on measures undertaken to implement the treaty and to update that report as needed, and to report annually on arms exports and imports undertaken during the previous year.
After ten years of treaty implementation, reporting trends and practices have emerged. Reporting compliance is not universal, with only 82% of ATT States Parties required to submit an initial report having done so.2ATT Secretariat, “Initial Reports,” accessed 1 August 2025. https://thearmstradetreaty.org/initial-reports.html?templateId=209839date. Annual reporting compliance rates have steadily decreased since reporting began, and as of 1 August 2025, 48 States Parties (or 42 percent of the 113 States required to have submitted at least one annual report) had either never submitted an annual report or had at least one outstanding report.3ATT Secretariat, “Annual Reports,” accessed 1 August 2025. https://thearmstradetreaty.org/annual-reports.html?templateId=209826.
For more than a decade, Stimson’s ATT Baseline Assessment Project (ATT-BAP) has sought to assist States Parties, the ATT Secretariat, and other relevant stakeholders in their efforts to enhance ATT reporting by contributing to a better understanding of States Parties’ reporting obligations and experiences. This assistance provides insights into existing reporting processes and practices, the challenges States Parties face in fulfilling their reporting obligations, and the good practices they have developed to overcome recurring challenges. ATT-BAP research and analysis has identified three key insights into barriers to effective ATT reporting. First, States are usually well-equipped to identify and understand their own reporting challenges. Second, barriers to consistent and holistic reporting are often country-specific. Third, the fundamental issue behind many reporting challenges is a lack of resources and capacity.
This report outlines the types of interventions that implementing partners – the ATT Secretariat, the ATT Working Group on Transparency and Reporting (WGTR), States Parties, regional organizations, and civil society, among others – could undertake to improve ATT reporting. The report is organized around the four main types of obstacles to consistent, comprehensive, and transparent ATT reporting: (1) Awareness and Understanding of ATT Obligations, (2) Capacity and Resource Challenges, (3) Internal and Bureaucratic Challenges, and (4) Political and Security Challenges.
Section 1 applies this framework to initial ATT reporting and Section 2 focuses on annual reporting. Each section presents the specific challenges as reported by States Parties and provides potential solutions and recommendations to the challenges States Parties face in fulfilling their reporting obligations. The report concludes with an analysis of the challenges faced by the ATT community in translating interventions from concept to practice and explores strategies for encouraging and facilitating the successful implementation of these interventions. Annex I provides a detailed, longer-form list of the recommendations contained in the body of the report. Annex II supplies a list of practical resources developed by the ATT community (including States Parties, the ATT Secretariat, the WGTR, and civil society) to aid States Parties in understanding ATT reporting requirements and in preparing reports. Annex III includes the questionnaire developed and sent to non-reporting ATT States Parties during the original research process.
Notes
- 1ATT Secretariat, “Treaty Text.” https://thearmstradetreaty.org/treaty-text.html?templateId=209884.
- 2ATT Secretariat, “Initial Reports,” accessed 1 August 2025. https://thearmstradetreaty.org/initial-reports.html?templateId=209839date.
- 3ATT Secretariat, “Annual Reports,” accessed 1 August 2025. https://thearmstradetreaty.org/annual-reports.html?templateId=209826.
