The international community must adopt a global Arms Trade Treaty in time for the next UN arms conference in 2006.

A global Arms Trade Treaty is desperately needed now. It would create legally binding arms controls and ensure that all governments control arms to the same basic international standards. In short, it would help stop weapons falling into the hands of indiscriminate killers and human rights abusers.

What would the Arms Trade Treaty stop?

But the world’s governments are taking little or no action to achieve this. Responsibility for the bloodshed and misery caused by the absence of effective arms controls stops directly at their doors.

The success of the international campaigns to ban landmines, cancel third world debt and establish an international criminal court proved that many governments do take notice of public opinion. The Control Arms campaign could be just as influential in pushing governments to adopt an Arms Trade Treaty – but only if enough people join us.