Steve Brine has welcomed an update following the Diplomatic Conference in New York on an Arms Trade Treaty which was held this summer.
Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt said: "The illegal, or simply poorly regulated, trade in arms costs lives and blights futures. More than 740,000 men, women, and children die each year as a result of armed violence.
"Last month the UN Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty came close to reaching an agreement that would have directly addressed this issue. Four weeks of tough negotiations resulted in a robust and balanced Treaty text which the vast majority of states, including ourselves, felt able to support.
"At the eleventh hour, a small number of countries asked for more time to study the text. Given the procedural requirement for full consensus this move effectively meant agreement was not possible. As the Government made clear, we were disappointed that the negotiations did not reach a conclusion. This was not the result we wanted or which we worked to achieve."
Mr Burt went on to say that he recognised that to be fully effective, the Treaty will need broad – ideally universal – participation, and that as he, and DfID colleague Alan Duncan MP made clear to both Houses going into these negotiations, while they recognised the need for flexibility and compromise, they would not accept or sign a weak Treaty, and they held strictly to these principles throughout.
Mr Burt continued: "During the Adjournment debate on 12th July, the Government was urged to push for robust criteria based on international human rights law, humanitarian law, sustainable development and gender based violence. Whilst the text reflects the compromises necessary to bridge the wide variety of national positions, the draft is robust and includes strong reference to all the above priorities. If adopted, the Treaty would bring about a very significant improvement on the current situation."
The main features of the Draft Treaty are:
1) A global first in setting a universal set of commitments on national arms export controls
2) A global baseline for regulating arms exports
3) The first ever international legally binding agreement on the transfer of small arms and light weapons
4) Controls on exports of ammunition and military parts and components
5) A requirement for countries to regulate brokering
6) A commitment that arms transfers will be assessed on the basis of criteria including human rights, and refused if they pose unacceptable risks
7) Inclusion of sustainable development and anti-corruption into arms export controls
Winchester & Chandler's Ford MP Steve Brine added: "I know the Government exerted every effort to secure a strong agreement. Ministers and officials in London, New York and across our network of Embassies and High Commissions worked tirelessly around the clock over the last month, and in the period leading up to it, to give these negotiations the best chance of success. Mr Burt and Mr Duncan travelled to New York, and along with other Ministers, including the Deputy Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and International Development Secretary, subsequently lobbied key states by phone and in person.
"As well as participating constructively in the Plenary, Main Committees and informal consultations, I have been assured that our delegation was highly active behind the scenes, working to find ways forward and to promote agreement. The UK delegation was widely recognised as one of the most influential, hard working and effective.
"I am sure my constituents will be pleased to hear that the Government remains fully committed to taking this work forward urgently to secure the strongest and widest possible agreement as soon as possible."
Mr Burt concluded: "A period of reflection and consultation with key governments and stakeholders is the first step. The UN General Assembly in the autumn, to which the Conference President is sending his report, will be the next opportunity to address the issue amongst the whole UN membership. Our priority will be to bank the progress we've made to date and push on to agree a Treaty.
"We remain optimistic and it is worth noting that those countries who asked for more time nevertheless spoke in positive terms about the text on the table. There is work to be done, but we believe we now have a firm base from which to drive forward our efforts."
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