Raphael Tuju, Foreign Minister of Kenya, one of the States co-authoring 'Towards an Arms Trade Treaty', addresses the UN General Assembly, September 2006.

In an historic move towards better regulation of the global arms trade, a resounding majority of 139 UN member states have voted to start work on an international Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). The vote was at the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) on Thursday, 26 October and is subject to formal passage through the UN General Assembly in January 2007. Click here to find out how your country voted.

Over the course of the First Committee meeting, hundreds of IANSA members persuaded their governments to support the resolution. These efforts, in addition to the combined effort of the Control Arms campaign, have been crucial to ensuring states' support for an ATT.

This historic vote paves the way for a feasibility report by the Secretary General and the establishment of a Group of Governmental Experts to consider the scope and content of the Treaty. Advocacy for an ATT will now shift to ensure balanced representation on the GGE and a continued focus on the Treaty development process. Click here to read the resolution.