Closer to ratification
Report submitted to Lower House Committee calls for ratification of Arms Trade Treaty
Brazil has taken another step towards ratifying the ATT (Arms Trade Treaty). After a 15-month wait, the rapporteur of the bill on ATT ratification in the Public Security and Combat of Organized Crime Committee of the Lower House, Congressman Lincoln Portela, submitted his report yesterday, August 23, endorsing the approval of the treaty by the Committee.
The congressman highlights the importance of the ATT, pointing out that the international agreement “represents an essentially humanitarian measure in the search for the protection of the human person”.
“According to the spirit of the treaty, arms exporting countries will be legally required to report on their arms sales and transfers and they will also be required to assess whether the weapons could be used to facilitate abuses of human rights and violations of humanitarian law,” reads the report.
According to Jefferson Nascimento, a lawyer at Conectas, until Brazil completes the ratification process, it will remain on the sidelines of the international debate to define the workings of the treaty. The 3rd Conference of States Parties will take place in September, gathering States that have already joined the ATT, but Brazil will only be able to participate as an observer.
“After months of unjustified delays, we now hope the bill will be voted quickly in the Public Security Committee, paving the way for its approval in the house and a rapid analysis by the Senate. Following the support given by the ministries of Justice, Foreign Relations and Defense, in addition to favorable reports in three house committees, it is imperative that Brazil concludes the ratification process soon,” said Nascimento.
“It is an important treaty for regulating the international arms market, by establishing humanitarian criteria to be observed in global transfers of arms and munitions. Given its prominent role in this international trade, Brazil needs to fully adhere to the treaty,” he concluded.
The ATT is the first global agreement to regulate international trade in conventional weapons – a category that includes everything from handguns to warplanes, a market that is worth approximately US$80 billion per year. Despite the fact that Brazil was one of the first countries to sign the treaty, back in 2013, and that it is the world’s fourth largest exporter of small arms, it has still not completed the ratification process.
Ninety-two States have already ratified the ATT, among them Germany, United Kingdom, Italy and France – countries that are home to some of the world’s largest arms exporting industries. Another 38 countries have made a commitment to ratify the treaty by signing it, including – besides Brazil – other important players on the conventional weapons market, such as the United States and Israel.
