In preparation for the Second Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty

Key issues at the First Conference of States Parties and thereafter

Abstract

The 1990s onwards has seen a proliferation of initiatives to develop regional and/or international instruments for conventional arms control. From transfer control and marking mechanisms to security sector reform and disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration, a multiple of measures have flourished to address the uncontrolled circulation and misuse of conventional arms. Among them were the efforts to agree to a legally-binding document establishing common criteria for assessing arms transfer licenses. After a series of negotiations, the efforts culminated on 2 April 2013 with the adoption of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) at the United Nations General Assembly. The First Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty (CSP1) was held in Mexico in August 2015, and the Second Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty (CSP2) is scheduled to take place in Switzerland in August 2016.
　While research is abundant on the negotiation processes of conventional arms control agreements since the 1990s and the roles of governmental and non-governmental actors in the negotiations, there is a striking absence of research on the implications of post-adoption processes and the roles of a wide range of actors in these processes. Nevertheless, issues such as the rules of procedure for the Conferences of States Parties (CSP), the Secretariat’s logistical and budgetary arrangements and ATT’s reporting mechanisms have been under heated debate during the treaty’s post-adoption processes, precisely because they seem to affect the treaty’s effectiveness and transparency.
　This article seeks to analyse the key issues at the CSP1 and thereafter, namely, the rules of procedure, the role and budget of the Secretariat, reporting mechanisms, and possible violations of the treaty by States Parties, and to indicate which controversies are likely to be major at the CSP2. As one of the participants of the CSP process of the ATT, the author hopes to record this historic moment and to provide the basis for policy debates ahead of the upcoming CSP2 as well as for the future research on, and evaluation of, this process.