Interview: “Missed opportunity”
In a trip to Brazil, the president of the only global treaty on international trade of conventional weapons laments the lack of participation by the country
Brazil is missing an opportunity to influence the course of the first global treaty on international transfers of conventional weapons and to set an example in the region of committing to responsible trade in these arms.
This is the assessment of the Finish diplomat Klaus Korhonen, president of the ATT (Arms Trade Treaty). Korhonen was in Brazil on June 8 and 9 when he met with representatives of the Legislative, the Executive and civil society to support the ratification of the treaty.
Despite being one of the first to sign the treaty, in June 2013, Brazil has still not completed the ratification process, which has been pending in the Public Security and Combating Organized Crime Committee of the Lower House of Congress since May 2016. The delay has prevented the country from having an active voice in the conferences to debate the workings of the ATT, in particular the upcoming Conference of States Parties scheduled for September in Geneva, Switzerland.
According to Korhonen, who was accompanied by Mélanie Régimbal, director of UNLIREC (United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean), the treaty not only creates a fairer environment for business, by establishing the same rules for everyone, it also limits the availability of illegal arms – which has the potential to reduce armed violence on the streets.
Read the exclusive interview given by Korhonen to Conectas by email just hours after leaving the country.
Why is it important for Brazil to quickly ratify the ATT?
Klaus Korhonen – Ratification would give Brazil rights to participate in the decision making in the Conference of States Parties of the Arms Trade Treaty. Brazil would have an opportunity to influence and contribute to the direction that the cooperation around and within the Treaty takes. ATT is a new international Treaty and in a formative stage as far as its operation is concerned. This is a good moment to join if you want to maximize your impact.
As a State Party you also have a better access to information that is received by the Secretariat on the implementation of other State Parties.
Ratification would send a strong message about Brazil as a responsible actor in the field of arms trade and as a member of the international community.
Brazil already participates in this cooperation as a Signatory State. Why not make the most of it?
How do you evaluate the participation of Latin American countries in the ATT and what role could a ratification by Brazil have in this scenario?
Most Latin American and Caribbean Countries have already ratified the Arms Trade Treaty and they participate actively in its decision making bodies. We have 22 State Parties from the Region. In addition, five have signed the Treaty but have not yet ratified, including Brazil. Five are neither signatories nor States Parties.
Brazil is an active participant in regional and global affairs. In terms of economy, population and territory it is one of the largest countries in the world. The accession of Brazil would further strengthen the voice of the Latin American and Caribbean Region in the ATT Community. I believe it would also serve as another encouraging example to those Countries in the region who have not yet joined the ATT.
What are the consequences for Brazil of not participating in the agreement?
The decision to join or not to join the ATT is always a sovereign decision of a sovereign State. We will respect the choice whatever it is. I would describe a scenario of Brazil not yet joining as a lost opportunity at this stage both for the country and for the ATT, but the door would always remains open.
How does Brazil’s non-ratification of the ATT affect the situation in the countries that buy our weapons and ammunitions?
Officials that we met during our visit emphasized that Brazil is a responsible actor with a functioning national export control system. I am confident that this would not change even if Brazil would choose to postpone its accession to the Treaty.
Critics of the treaty say that it would jeopardize the national arms industry. Is this argument valid?
Every country will independently assess the impact of the ATT to its national situation. My own country, Finland, has national production of defense materiel and our industry is also exporting some of these items abroad. Both the Finnish Government and our defense industry are convinced that full participation in the ATT serves our national interest.
Representatives of arms industry have observed that the Arms Trade Treaty will create a level playing field for international arms trade where everybody follow same rules. This is beneficial to the industry from the economic and business point of view.
Will the ratification make Brazil more insecure?
By regulating the international arms trade the ATT contributes to a safer international environment. The ATT will make all of us more secure.
Law enforcement officials, including here in Brazil, have pointed out that by improving the regulation of international arms transfers the ATT contributes to domestic security by reducing the availability of illegal weapons, what means less armed violence on our streets.
Regarding the important perspective of national defense, it should be mentioned that the respect for the right to self-defense is one of the principles that are clearly expressed in the Arms Trade Treaty.
Are the mechanisms that are currently available in Brazil to monitor our international arms deals enough?
Brazil’s national legislation and administration in this field are already well developed. If the brazilian government feels that it would benefit from dialogue on possible further development of its national system, we and our experts are certainly ready for that. We will also welcome Brazil’s own contribution to exchange of experience and good practices between members of the ATT community.
After many meetings with authorities from the Executive and the Legislative branches, how do you evaluate Brazil’s willingness to ratify the ATT?
I was encouraged by our meetings in Brasilia but the ratification process is entirely in the hands of Brazil’s own institutions. It was an honor to visit your country and, for our delegation, the open and friendly dialogue was very useful.
Whatch bellow Klaus Korhonen and Melanie Régimbal’s comments over the ATT and the importance for Brazil to a straight forward ratification of it:
