Support for a global Arms Trade Treaty
Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt has welcomed yesterday's vote at the UN, he said: "Agreement on an Arms Trade Treaty is closer than ever, and the UK will be at the forefront of efforts to finally secure this."
Yesterday UN Member States voted overwhelmingly in support of a UN General Assembly Resolution that secured a resumption of negotiations on the Arms Trade Treaty. The Resolution convened a further UN conference from 18 to 28 March 2013 in New York. Speaking today, Minister responsible for the Arms Trade Treaty, Alistair Burt said:
“Yesterday in New York, 157 countries pledged their support for a global Arms Trade Treaty. An overwhelming majority of states, including the US, China and India, voted for a return to UN negotiations in 2013 to finalise work on a Treaty that will save lives, reduce human suffering and bring consistency to the global trade in conventional arms. The UK has led the international efforts towards an Arms Trade Treaty since 2006 and, with the majority of the world alongside us, will redouble our efforts to secure a Treaty that will make a difference to millions of lives around the world. Agreement on an Arms Trade Treaty is closer than ever, and the UK will be at the forefront of efforts to finally secure this. I appreciate the public support which has underlined our approach and helped to secure this positive outcome.”