Arms Trade Treaty: Ratification and implementation guide for African States

This guide is for policy makers, legislative officers and other parties interested in the practical, effective and robust implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty.

The intention of this document is to serve as a guideline for policy makers, legislative officers,firearms control practitioners, and other parties that are interested in the implementation of a practical, effective and robust Arms Trade Treaty (ATT).

Several critical matters will be addressed and suggestions will be made as to how best to deal with them. Since the issues addressed are only of a general nature, countries need to take their own constitutional and legislative system, as well as their political and strategic environments into account when considering the changes that need to be made to ensure compliance with the ATT.

The recommendations contained in this document represent the minimum requirements that should be put in place for effective arms control. Achievement of this objective will enhance the ability of States to regulate the flow of arms within and through their sovereign territories, which in turn will assist the international process of working toward sustainable peace and security across all regions.

About the author

Ben Coetzee is the Programme Manager of the Arms Management Programme and a senior researcher at the ISS in Pretoria. He has worked with governments across Africa on matters relating to arms control. His efforts are dedicated to improve arms control measures and to reduce the flow of illicit arms to and across Africa.