PRESS RELEASE: Control Arms Foundation of India welcomes Landslide United Nations vote in favour of an International Arms Trade Treaty

Posted on November 4, 2008 0 Comments15

147 states at the United Nations voted overwhelmingly to move forward
with work on an International Arms Trade Treaty. The Control Arms campaign, which
represents millions of campaigners around the world welcomed the vote
but called for more urgency from states to advance the process quickly
and ensure a strong Treaty with human rights and development at its
heart.

145 states supported for the Treaty and 2 others
subsequently added their names, an increase on the 139 states who voted
to start the UN process in October 2006, showing increasing global
consensus in favour of the treaty. 116 of the yes voters also
co-sponsored the resolution. The vote was particularly strong in
Africa, South and Central America and Europe indicating strong demand
for arms control both from countries severely affected by armed
violence and from major exporters. Only the US and Zimbabwe voted
against, ignoring increasing global consensus for an ATT.

Every day, over 1000 people are killed directly with firearms and
many thousands more die indirectly as a consequence of armed violence
or are driven from their homes, forced off their land, raped, tortured
or maimed. Since the UN process started in December 2006, approximately
695,000 people have been killed directly with firearms, illustrating
the urgent need for an Arms Trade Treaty. Any further delay means more
lost lives.

Control Arms Foundation of India (CAFI) welcomes the vote and will
continue to strengthen its work in India on making the Arms Trade
Treaty a reality. Since 2006, the organisation has been spearheading
Indian civil society initiative on this important disarmament treaty.
All over India, more than 30 000 citizens have given their support to
the ATT by signing on to a petition submitted to the United Nations.

Moreover, several 21 members of parliament of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha
have
given their support to efforts to strengthen international regulations
for the trade and transfer of conventional weapons by signing a
petition put forward by CAFI. And recently, on 13 & 14 September
2008, CAFI  commemorated the Global Day of
Action for an Arms Trade Treaty and over 31 Indian NGOs were trained on
issues relating to it.

The Control Arms Foundation of India calls upon the Indian Governemnt to take more leadership on the proposed International Arms Trade Treaty.

For more information please contact Contral Arms Foundation of India

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