Introduction
In 2013, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the international Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) with the aim of contributing to international peace and security and reducing human suffering caused by the irresponsible and illicit arms trade. The treaty represents the only legally binding instrument to regulate the global arms trade and promote transparency and accountability in arms transfer decisions. The treaty advances these objectives in its requirement for States Parties to annually report on their arms exports and imports. This report examines the 2018 ATT annual reports, which were submitted to the ATT Secretariat by 10 September 2019, and captures information provided by ATT States Parties on their arms exports and imports that occurred during the 2018 calendar year. In analyzing the 2018 ATT annual reports, this report begins to identify emerging reporting trends and patterns, and establishes questions regarding ATT reporting efforts in terms of their value and impact.
This report is divided into three sections. Section one reviews the status of reporting for the 2018 ATT annual reports and provides a comparison with previous years. Section two highlights reporting practices and identifies trends in how States Parties are reporting on their arms exports and imports. Section three examines broader transparency trends and compares the 2018 ATT annual reports with reports to the UN Register of Conventional Arms (UNROCA).
