The report produced by SaferGlobe, “Arms Trade Treaty Signatory States – Gaps and Possibilities for Treaty Universalization,” focuses on examining the issues related to the universalization of the international Arms Trade Treaty (ATT): why have nearly 40 countries signed the treaty but have not yet acceded to it? How can efforts to expand the treaty be most effectively promoted?
By September 2017, 92 UN member states had joined the Arms Trade Treaty. Additionally, there are a number of countries currently working on national measures to join it as soon as possible.
According to the research, the most significant factors delaying the accession of signatory countries include security policy considerations, insufficient information about the importance of control and the required systems, communication problems, challenges posed by domestic political factors and processes, as well as concerns expressed by the defense industry about potential restrictions resulting from increased trade controls. The report presents a series of proposals that countries themselves or the international community could use to support the universalization of the ATT.