The United Nations, in its work to assist people all over the world, is confronted every day with the negative impact of lax controls on the arms trade. In all parts of the world, the ready availability of weapons and ammunition has led to human suffering, political repression, crime and terror among civilian populations. Irresponsible arms transfers can destabilize security in a region, enable the violation of Security Council arms embargoes and contribute to human rights and international humanitarian law abuses. Importantly, investment is discouraged and development disrupted in countries experiencing conflict and high levels of violence, which also affect their ability to attain the Sustainable Development Goals.
and Governments remain primarily responsible for providing security and protecting their populations, keeping to the rule of law. That is why they are expected to show responsibility in their decisions regarding international arms transfers.
so how can we contribute to a responsible arms trade? Responsible arms trade requires in-depth knowledge and effective implementation of prohibitions and obligations under international law regarding the international transfer of conventional arms that may be destabilizing or cause human suffering. Therefore, on the sidelines of Maat’s participation in the series of preparatory meetings for the Arms Trade Treaty, we launched the first version of that workshop in cooperation with the Geneva Center for Security Policy to work on the gap in the participation of organizations in the Middle East and North Africa to encourage them to participate in the Conference of the States Parties to be held in August 2022