November 27, 2007...1:33 pm
A month of campaigning and a UN record broken
The Control Arms team has returned from the United Nations, after a month of hard campaigning, tired but happy at the unprecedented show of support from states for a tough Arms Trade Treaty.
Almost a year after the historic vote for an Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), we were there to keep the pressure on. And to make sure that governments incorporated the views of the millions of people around the world who are affected by armed violence every day. To that end the Control Arms Campaign organised “People’s Consultations” all over the world, to run alongside government’s official consultations. The People’s Consultations and stories from the suvivors of armed violence had real impact. More than 100 governments have now sent in their views on what should be in an ATT; over 10 times the normal amount the UN would normally receive and setting – a record reponse rate for the UN.
We also brought together the slightly unlikely sounding combination of a war journalist, 3 retired military leaders from around the world and UN ambassadors (and a mountain of sandwiches to help fuel the debate) to discuss the Arms Trade Treaty in our event, ‘From The Front Line’.
And the next step? As we move into 2008, the Control Arms team will continue to push until the treaty becomes a reality for the millions of people around the world who are affected by armed violence. Watch this space.
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