Towards an Arms Trade Treaty : Continuing momentum at the UN

In October 2008, states voted overwhelmingly to continue work towards an Arms Trade Treaty at the United Nations. The UN General Assembly mandated the establishment of an Open-Ended Working Group to further consider the feasibility of a comprehensive, legally binding instrument on the import, export, and transfer of conventional arms. There is still no consensus amongst states on a start of negotiations of such an instrument. Nevertheless, the working group can make an important contribution to further building the foundations for a future development of a global treaty to better control the conventional arms trade.