Statement by Canada to the Tenth Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT)
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Geneva, Switzerland, August 19, 2024
Mr. President,
We congratulate you on your good work as President while the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) celebrates its Tenth year since entering into force, and we thank you for organizing this morning’s panel on interagency cooperation. We believe that a cooperative and coordinated whole-of-government approach is essential for national implementation of the Treaty’s provisions.
We would also like to express our sincerest gratitude to Mr. Dumisani DLADLA for all of his contributions as head of the Secretariat. We wish to express our condolences on the untimely loss of Mr. Stefan OTT, and acknowledge the legacy of his contributions to the ATT.
We also look forward to welcoming the Gambia and Malawi as they finalize the process to become the 114th and 115th States Parties of the ATT. Canada remains committed to universalizing the ATT, and we reiterate our call on all States not yet party to join the Treaty.
We would also like to commend all ATT State Parties, Signatories, and staff as well as civil society organizations and industry representatives for all of their contributions to the impressive advancement of the ATT over the last 10 years and Canada is keen to see how the ATT will develop in the near future.
Canada places strong importance on the gender elements of the ATT, and we join other delegations in reiterating and reinforcing the need for the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in the ATT context.
Mr. President,
As we are now at ten years since the ATT’s inception, the Treaty is at a critical juncture where we need to take the necessary means to ensure its future sustainability. This is key to achieving our common objectives of reducing human suffering and contributing to peace, security and stability. Canada would like to thank the delegation of the UK for its Political Declaration in this regard.
To this end, we want to thank the Management Committee for their work on the proposed programme of work and look forward to finding a constructive way ahead. We welcome the proposal to extend the one-year trial basis. That said, based on the success of this past cycle, Canada would be prepared to proceed now with adopting the revised programme of work. We are in favour of improving efficiency and streamlining meetings, ensuring that the ATT’s working methods are fit-for-purpose and sustainable. Canada also strongly supports increasing focus on substantive issues and on practical implementation, with less time allocated towards procedural elements. We call on States Parties to be open to this revised format, and we remain optimistic that this is a stepping stone on the path to an increasingly efficient Treaty.
As we look ahead, we believe universalization is imperative to successful implementation. Accordingly, we fully support universalization efforts in regions where universalization is lowest, such as the Indo-Pacific region. We would like to extend our thanks to the Small Arms Survey for their collaboration and efforts in this regard. To support in this effort, Canada is currently funding their ongoing project Understanding Challenges to the ATT Universalization and Compliance in the Indo-Pacific Region and we look forward to seeing the results shortly.
Mr. President,
Canada would once again like to express our strong concern regarding the uncomfortable financial situation of the Treaty. As we look forward to the ATT’s next 10 years, we believe it is essential that all States Parties need to work together to get the ATT on more sustainable financial footing. We would like to note that we recognize and are encouraged by the improving state of the financial situation this year and would like to thank all contributing State Parties, noting that this year has shown a marked improvement. We continue to urge all States Parties to pay their annual contributions in full and on time. Fulfilling this legal obligation is essential to the sustainability and survival of the ATT. We strongly encourage States Parties to access payment plan options to settle their arrears, so that they can fulfil their payment obligations under the Treaty. Canada is also happy to reaffirm our continuing support for the ATT’s Voluntary Trust Fund & Sponsorship Programme.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to express Canada's commitment to working with diverse stakeholders, including civil society organizations, and ensuring they have a voice at the table. We prioritize continual work with partners and CSOs during the intersessional period and are confident that this leads to improved results overall.
Mr. President, my delegation looks forward to a productive week of meetings.
I thank you.
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