At the UN conference in July 2012, no agreement was reached on an international treaty to regulate worldwide arms trade (Arms Trade Treaty).

In a joint communiqué published today, the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, the UK, Italy and Spain, as well as Sweden’s Minister of Trade, have come out in favour of launching a new effort to conclude such a treaty.

The six Ministers have called upon the ongoing UN General Assembly session to generate the momentum for the resumption of the negotiations in 2013. They are advocating a legally binding treaty covering all types of conventional weapons, including small arms and ammunition.