Regional meeting on arms trade kicks off in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - A regional meeting aimed at garnering wider support for a treaty regulating international trade in conventional arms opened here today.

Senior level representatives from Asian countries are participating in the Second Regional Meeting to Facilitate Dialogue on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) which will conclude on Nov. 27.

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said the purpose of the meeting is to discuss the way forward in terms of wider support and implementation of the ATT.

The meeting is jointly organized by the Philippine government and the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD). It is the second in a series of meetings, the first of which was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in February in advance of the final treaty negotiations.

The landmark ATT regulating the international trade in conventional arms opened for signature at the United Nations on June 3. To date, 114 states have signed the ATT while 8 states have ratified the treaty.  

The treaty will enter into force when 50 states ratify it. The Philippines signed the ATT on Sept. 25 during the UN Treaties Event of the 68th United Nations General Assembly.

The ATT is the first-ever global treaty to establish international norms aimed at addressing the diversion and illicit transfers of conventional weapons.