A/RES/72/44 GA

United Nations A/RES/72/44 General Assembly Distr.: General 12 December 2017 17-21721 (E) 141217 *1721721* Seventy-second session Agenda item 99 (x) Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 4 December 2017 [on the report of the First Committee (A/72/409)] 72/44. The Arms Trade Treaty The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 61/89 of 6 December 2006, 63/240 of 24 December 2008, 64/48 of 2 December 2009, 67/234 A of 24 December 2012, 67/234 B of 2 April 2013, 68/31 of 5 December 2013, 69/49 of 2 December 2014, 70/58 of 7 December 2015 and 71/50 of 5 December 2016 and its decision 66/518 of 2 December 2011, Recognizing that disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation are essential for the maintenance of international peace and security, Recognizing also the security, social, economic and humanitarian consequences of the illicit and unregulated trade in conventional arms, Recognizing further the legitimate political, security, economic and commercial interests of States in the international trade in conventional arms, Underlining the need to prevent and eradicate the illicit trade in conventional arms and to prevent their diversion to the illicit market, or for unauthorized end use and end users, including the commission of terrorist acts, Noting the contribution made by the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects,1 as well as the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components and Ammunition, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, 2 and the International Instrument to Enable States to Identify and Trace, in a Timely and Reliable Manner, Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons,3 __________________ 1 Report of the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, New York, 9–20 July 2001 (A/CONF.192/15), chap. IV, para. 24. 2 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 2326, No. 39574. 3 See decision 60/519 and A/60/88 and A/60/88/Corr.2, annex. A/RES/72/44 The Arms Trade Treaty 17-21721 2/3 Highlighting the links and synergies between the Arms Trade Treaty4 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,5 including Sustainable Development Goal 16 and target 16.4, which aims at significantly reducing illicit arms flows by 2030, Recognizing the important role that civil society organizations, including non-governmental organizations, and industry play, by raising awareness, in efforts to prevent and eradicate the unregulated and illicit trade in conventional arms and prevent their diversion and in supporting the implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty, Welcoming the adoption by the General Assembly and the entry into force of the Treaty on 2 April 2013 and 24 December 2014, respectively, and noting that the Treaty remains open for accession by any State that has not signed it, Welcoming also the latest ratifications of the Treaty, bearing in mind that universalization of the Treaty is essential to achieving its object and purpose, Noting the efforts by the States parties to the Treaty to continue exploring ways and means to enhance national implementation of the Treaty through the working group on implementation and the voluntary trust fund for the implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty, 1. Welcomes the decisions taken at the Third Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty, held in Geneva from 11 to 15 September 2017, and notes that the Fourth Conference of States Parties is to be held in Japan from 20 to 24 August 2018, subject to the final confirmation of the Government of Japan; 2. Also welcomes the establishment of the standing working groups on implementation, on transparency and reporting, and on universalization by the Third Conference of States Parties as important steps in advancing the object and purpose of the Arms Trade Treaty;4 3. Recognizes that the consolidation of the institutional structure of the Treaty provides a framework for supporting further work under the Treaty, in particular its effective implementation, and in this regard calls upon States that have not yet done so to address their financial obligations under the Treaty in a prompt and timely manner; 4. Calls upon all States that have not yet done so to ratify, accept, approve or accede to the Treaty, according to their respective constitutional processes, in order to achieve its universalization; 5. Calls upon those States parties in a position to do so to provide assistance, including legal or legislative assistance, institutional capacity-building and technical, material or financial assistance, to requesting States in order to promote the universalization of the Treaty; 6. Stresses the vital importance of the full and effective implementation of and compliance with all provisions of the Treaty by States parties, and urges them to meet their obligations under the Treaty; 7. Recognizes the complementarity among all relevant international instruments on conventional arms and the Treaty, and to this end urges all States to implement effective national measures to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit and unregulated trade in conventional arms in fulfilment of their respective international obligations and commitments; __________________ 4 See resolution 67/234 B. 5 Resolution 70/1. The Arms Trade Treaty A/RES/72/44 3/3 17-21721 8. Encourages all States parties to make available their initial report, as well as their annual report for the preceding calendar year, as required under article 13 of the Treaty, thereby enhancing confidence, transparency, trust and accountability, and notes the endorsement by the Second Conference of States Parties of templates that may facilitate the reporting task; 9. Welcomes the successful operationalization of the voluntary trust fund for the implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty, encourages eligible States to make best use of the voluntary trust fund, and encourages all States parties in a position to do so to contribute to the voluntary trust fund; 10. Encourages States parties and signatory States in a position to do so to provide financial assistance, through a voluntary sponsorship fund, that could contribute to meeting the costs of participation in meetings under the Treaty for those States that would otherwise be unable to attend; 11. Encourages States parties to strengthen their cooperation with civil society, including non-governmental organizations, industry and relevant international organizations and to work with other States parties at the national and regional levels, with the aim of ensuring the effective implementation of the Treaty; 12. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its seventy-third session, under the item entitled “General and complete disarmament”, the sub-item entitled “The Arms Trade Treaty”, and to review the implementation of the present resolution at that session. 62nd plenary meeting 4 December 2017

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