The document discusses the negative impacts of the arms trade on development, peacebuilding, and human rights. It argues that an Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) could help address these issues by requiring states to establish arms control lists, assess risks of human rights abuses and diversion, report on arms trades, and improve governance and security of arms stockpiles. However, the ATT does not directly address the arms trade's impact on development. Robust implementation is needed to ensure the ATT achieves its goals of reducing armed violence and supporting development.

1. The Arms Trade Treaty
Reducing Armed Violence
and Supporting Development
Martin Butcher, Oxfam
mbutcher@oxfam.org.uk

2. Arms transfers impact on
development when they:
• Aggravate armed violence (conflict, crime,
serious violations of human rights)
• When they undermine post-conflict
peacebuilding
• When they drain state resources
unaccountably
• When they involve corruption

3. Armed violence & Peacebuilding
• 22 of 34 countries most likely to miss the MDGs are in
the midst of, or emerging from, conflict
• Arms Trade = $1.4 trillion, Peacekeeping = $7.1 billion
• $18 bn per year taken out of Africa’s economy
African conflict countries have
MORE
50% - Infant deaths
15% - Undernourished people
20% - Illiteracy
LESS
5 years – life expectancy
2.5 times – doctors
63% - GDP/capita

4. • Injuries are likely to be even more numerous than deaths in
conflict and armed violence
• About 60% of human rights violations documented by Amnesty
International have involved the use of small arms and light
weapons
• 26 million people worldwide were internally displaced as a result
of armed conflict at the end of 2008
• All of the top six countries of origin of refugees in 2008 are
locations of armed conflict
• Child soldiers have been actively involved in armed conflict in
government forces or non-state armed groups in 19 countries or
territories since 2004

5. What Will the ATT Do?
• States must establish a list of controlled items
• States are obliged to assess risks of IHL and human
rights abuses
• States are obliged to assess risks of diversion
• States must report annually on Arms Trade and
treaty implementation
• Work with recipient States to mitigate risk
• States must control brokers
• Does NOT directly mention the impact on
development in operative paragraphs

6. What Will This Achieve?
• Improved governance
• Improved security of stockpiles
• Reduced risk of arms entering grey and
black markets
• Greater transparency

7. What Must We Do?
• Robust implementation is essential to turn
words into actions
• Ensure meetings of States Party to the treaty
contribute to norm building and reinforcement
• Challenge States on dubious arms deals to
strengthen norm
• Work with States to ensure effective National
Implementation