Tanzania: Consultation On Arms Trade Treaty Slated for Arusha

19 May 2007
Arusha Times (Arusha)

Arusha — The civil society national people's consultation round table workshop on Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is scheduled to take place in Arusha this month on 21st and 22nd and will be officially opened by the Regional Commissioner for Arusha, Col. Samwel A. Ndomba.

National control arms campaign coordinator for Tanzania who is also a board member of the "Eastern Africa Action Network on Small Arms (EAANSA) liaison officer for the "Tanzania National Action Network on Small Arms (TANANSA), Peter Boswell Mcomalla said that consultation on arms trade treaty at the national levels aimed at putting pressure on governments to send submissions to the UN Secretary General that support a strong and comprehensive arms trade treaty;

This puts pressure on governments to be accountable to their citizens in response to the UN Secretary General's call to involve civil society in development of national government submissions.

At the global level, the people's consultation on arms trade and treaty is aimed among others at encouraging at least 100 governments particularly from countries affected by armed violence and from the global south, to respond to the UN Secretary General's consultation process in a positive and constructive way.

Since 2003, the control arms campaign has been calling for an international arms trade treaty to bring the global arms trade under control. Over one million people around the world have signed the Million Faces petition in support of this goal.

The campaign had a huge success last December when 153 governments member states of the United Nations Genera Assembly reached a landmark decision, voting overwhelmingly in favour of taking first steps towards a legally-binding arms trade treaty to ensure comprehensive and effective regulation of international transfers of conventional arms.

States are now requested to submit their views on the feasibility, scope and parameters for a legally-binding arms trade treaty. Up to now, 66 states have already submitted their response to the UN Secretary General on their status.

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