Arms Trade Treaty

The Arms Trade Treaty(ATT)regulates the international trade in conventional weapons.

The treaty was negotiated at a global conference under the auspices of the United Nations from 2–27 July 2012 in New York

Under the ATT, ratifying nations are expected to accept fixed international standards for conventional weapons sales, linked to the protection of human rights. The adopted treaty text covers weapons such as tanks, armoured combat vehicles, large-calibre artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles and missile launchers, and small and light arms 

Background to ATT
The ATT is part of a larger global effort begun in 1997 by Costa Rican President and 1987 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Óscar Arias(for his efforts  to end civil wars then raging in several other Central American countries)
 In 1987, President Arias led a group of Nobel Peace Prize laureates in a meeting in New York to offer the world a code of conduct for the trade in arms.

This group included Ellie Wiesel, Betty Williams, the Dalai Lama, Jose Ramos Horta, representatives of the International Association of Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Amnesty International, and the American Friends Service Committee. The original idea was to establish ethical standards for the arms trade that would eventually be adopted by the international community. 

UN General Assembly Approval for ATT
On 2 April 2013,the UN General Assembly adopt ATT.The resolution containing the text of the treaty, which regulates the international trade in conventional arms, received 154 votes in favour.
 3 Member States – Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Iran and Syria – voted against the decision, while 23 countries abstained(including India)

 India's Stand on ATT
Speaking after the vote, Sujata Mehta, India’s Permanent representative to the Geneva Conference of Disarmament during the UNGA session, said “At this stage we are not in a position to endorse the text contained as annexure to document. Therefore, India has abstained on the resolution”.
In particular Ms. Mehta said that the draft treaty text “falls short of our expectations and a number of other key stakeholders in producing a text that is clear, balanced and implementable and able to attract universal adherence”.