EU Statement

Transparency in Armaments

The Conference on Disarmament

 Geneva, 17 May 2023

Madam President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union.

The candidate countries North Macedonia ^*, Montenegro^*, Albania^*, the Republic of Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina^*, the potential candidate country Georgia, and the EFTA country Norway, member of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this statement.

The EU underlines the essential contribution that a responsible arms trade policy makes to the maintenance of international peace and security and respect for human rights and international humanitarian law. Transparency in armaments helps building confidence among States, reduces risks of conflict and contributes to strengthening rules-based international order.

The EU supports the UNGA resolutions on Transparency in Armaments, which have guided our efforts since 1991. While they laid ground for the establishment of the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms (UNROCA) as the key international mechanism to promote predictability and transparency in the conventional arms trade, the European Union became the first group of States to accept a regional Code of Conduct on Arms Exports as expressed in the EU’s Common Position of 2008 (2008/944/CFSP). The adoption of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) by the UN General Assembly on 2 April 2013 was a historic diplomatic achievement, which added this landmark instrument to the global arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation architecture.

The EU and its Member States have always been staunch supporters of the ATT since the early stages of its negotiations and are firmly committed to its goals. This treaty is a key international instrument that aims to establish the highest possible common international standards for regulating the international trade in conventional arms and to prevent and eradicate the illicit trade in conventional arms and prevent their diversion. In doing so, the ATT contributes to international and regional peace, security, and stability and reduces human suffering. It complements other international instruments, such as the UN Programme of Action (UN PoA) on the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons (SALW) and the International Tracing Instrument, and contributes broadly to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Target 16.4 on reducing illicit arms flows and Target 5.2 on eliminating gender based violence.

We reiterate our call on all UN Member States, especially the major arms importers, exporters and transit States, to ratify or accede to the ATT without further delay. The EU invites all partners to redouble their efforts and to increase our collective engagement and outreach efforts to non-State Parties, underlining the benefits of joining the ATT, thus contributing to international and regional peace and stability.

Madam President,

The EU welcomes the consensus report of the 2022 group of governmental experts on the continuing operation of the UNROCA and its further development, in which the group reaffirmed the Register’s unique role as an instrument to support transparency, build trust and promote dialogue in military matters. The Register should remain a central tool for United Nations efforts to promote and facilitate confidence-building among Member States to enhance international peace and security, thus enabling sustainable development.  Since its inception, UNROCA has received reports on arms imports and exports from more than 170 States. Whilst respecting States considerations regarding national security that could pose challenges to transparency, for example in the context of arms transfers to support Ukraine’s legitimate right to self-defence, the EU encourages all States to report to UNROCA in a timely, complete and transparent manner. Reporting is key to ensure transparency, a meaningful exchange on arms export control and disarmament and to build confidence.

The EU reminds of the existing synergies between the reporting for the ATT and UNROCA by using the possibility offered to ATT States parties to also use their annual ATT report for reporting to UNROCA. To assist others in fulfilling their obligations in this field, the EU and its Member States have for multiple years conducted various outreach projects and remain committed to continue to build capacities through these projects, as well as the EU ATT Outreach Project. 

Furthermore, as the diversion, illicit trade and unauthorised use of small arms and light weapons (SALW) and their ammunition continues to constitute a serious impediment for peace, growth, development, and security in the world, the EU has also been actively promoting the implementation of the UN Programme of Action (UN PoA) on SALW since its adoption in 2001. Its implementation must be supported by synergies with other relevant international and regional instruments, such as the ATT, UNROCA and the Firearms Protocol of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC).

Madam President,

Russia’s ongoing campaign of systematic missile, drone, rocket and artillery strikes against Ukrainian civilians, civilian targets, energy infrastructure and other utilities, to inflict even more suffering on the Ukrainian people, is a crime for which there can be no impunity. It must stop immediately. In the same vein, the EU reiterates its strong condemnation of any type of Iran’s military support, including deliveries of drones in violation of UNSCR 2231, to Russia’s illegal, unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine.

Madam President,

There are capable, efficient and effective tools in our toolbox, which if fully used and implemented, can provide credible assurances for transparency in armaments. We must focus our common endeavour on their universalisation and further strengthening instead of developing a new instrument in this field. Pending their further development, we invite States in a position to do so to provide additional information on procurement through national production and military holdings. Thus, the role of the Conference on Disarmament and its involvement in this regard could be reviewed.

Thank you, Madam President.

^*  North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.