A/RES/73/36 GA

United Nations A/RES/73/36 General Assembly Distr.: General 11 December 2018 18-21231 (E) 131218 *1821231* Seventy-third session Agenda item 101 (bb) Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 5 December 2018 [on the report of the First Committee (A/73/510 and A/73/510/Corr.1)] 73/36. 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, 71/50 of 5 December 2016 and 72/44 of 4 December 2017 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, Recalling 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/73/36 The Arms Trade Treaty 18-21231 2/3 Highlighting the links and synergies between the Arms Trade Treaty 4 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, Taking note of the Secretary-General’s disarmament agenda, Securing Our Common Future: An Agenda for Disarmament, in particular the section of the agenda entitled “Disarmament that saves lives”, Recognizing the negative impact of the illicit and unregulated trade in conventional arms and related ammunition on the lives of women, men, girls and boys, and that the Arms Trade Treaty was the first international agreement to identify and call upon States to address the link between conventional arms transfers and the risk of serious acts of gender-based violence and serious acts of violence against women and children, Recognizing also 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, Recalling 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 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 effective treaty implementation and the voluntary trust fund for the implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty, 1. Welcomes the decisions taken at the Fourth Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty, held in Tokyo from 20 to 24 August 2018, and notes that the Fifth Conference of States Parties will be held in Geneva from 26 to 30 August 2019; 2. Also welcomes the progress made by the standing working groups on effective treaty implementation, on transparency and reporting, and on universalization 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 expresses concern about the unpaid assessed contributions of States and the potential adverse implications this has for the Treaty processes, and 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 implementation and 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 the States __________________ 4 See resolution 67/234 B. 5 Resolution 70/1. The Arms Trade Treaty A/RES/73/36 3/3 18-21231 parties to meet their obligations under the Treaty, thereby contributing to international and regional peace, security and stability, to the reduction of human suffering and to the promotion of cooperation, transparency and responsible action; 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 and ammunition in fulfilment of their respective international obligations and commitments; 8. Encourages further steps to enable States to increasingly prevent and tackle diversion of conventional arms and ammunition to unauthorized end uses and end users; 9. Recognizes the added value of the adoption in June 2018 of the report of the third United Nations Conference to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects,6 including the outcome document annexed thereto, and acknowledges synergies between the Programme of Action and the Arms Trade Treaty; 10. Encourages all States parties to make available, in a timely manner, and to update, as appropriate, 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; 11. Encourages States parties and signatory States to ensure the full and equal participation of women and men in pursuing the object and purpose of the Treaty and its implementation; 12. 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; 13. 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; 14. 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, and invites those stakeholders, in particular those that are underrepresented in Arms Trade Treaty processes, to engage further with States parties with the aim of ensuring the effective implementation and universalization of the Treaty; 15. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its seventy-fourth 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. 45th plenary meeting 5 December 2018 __________________ 6 A/CONF.192/2018/RC/3.

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