The adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) on 2 April 2013, and its entry into force on 24 December 2014 marks the end of a long road towards the achievement of the first global treaty regulating the international trade in conventional arms.

Those who initiated the concept with the support of Nobel Peace Laureates, and began promoting it in the 1990s, were sometimes labelled as utopians and had an uphill struggle to convince governments of its merit. Now, after 20 years in the making, some trumpet the ATT as inevitable and long overdue. Others who are more sceptical point to perceived weaknesses in parts of the Treaty provisions and are concerned that the Treaty will be used as a political tool by the exporting States who dominate the international trade. The fact remains, however, that in today’s increasingly globalized and interconnected trade in conventional arms, every State has an emerging common interest in its regulation.

To date, the Treaty has a total of 110 States Parties and 31 States that have signed but not yet ratified the Treaty. The Treaty regime continues to be developed. Six Conferences of States Parties have been held. Reporting templates have been developed to increase transparency on national implementation. Thematic topics have focused on addressing diversion, the linkages between the ATT and sustainable development, gender and gender based violence. International assistance through the Voluntary Trust Fund has also been prioritized to support implementation at the national level.

While the ATT has been successfully established and now has a growing number of ratifications, its impact remains to be seen. The effectiveness of the Treaty will be determined by whether States Parties invest resources in implementing the Treaty, fully respect its obligations, and cooperate with and assist other States Parties.

This book is an article-by-article commentary on the Treaty and not intended to be a complete review of the history of the negotiations or to foreclose further debate on the interpretation and application of the Treaty’s provisions. Biographical details in the list of contributors remain unchanged from the 2015 version of this book.