Finland Times

File picture, delegates to the United Nations General Assembly April 2, 2013 applaud the passage of the first UN treaty regulating the international arms trade. Photo - AFP/Lehtikuva

Finland has signed the International Arms Trade Treaty on Monday adopted by the United Nations in early April this year, news agency STT reported.

 

The foreign minister, Erkki Tuomioja signed in the agreement along with some other countries during a signing ceremony held at the UN headquarters in New York.

 

While signing the first ever international treaty on arms regulation, Tuomioja expressed his satisfaction pointing out Finland’s role as one of the initiators of the treaty.

 

A total of 60 countries were scheduled to sign the agreement on Monday and the agreement will come into effect, if at least 50 countries ratify it.

 

‘The world has decided to finally put an end to the “free-for-all” nature of international weapons transfers,’ Martin Nesirky, Spokesperson for the Secretary General said, adding that the Arms Trade Treaty will make it harder for weapons to be diverted into the illicit market; to reach warlords, pirates, terrorists and criminals; or to be used to commit grave human rights abuses or violations of international humanitarian law.

 

Earlier, the UN General Assembly on April 2 adopted the historic Arms Trade Treaty with 154 votes cast in favour of the treaty and Finland, one of the 108 co-sponsors of the text of the Treaty casted votes for the treaty.

 

The first-ever treaty was adopted with the view to regulate the $80-billion-a-year conventional arms trade that will open the treaty for signature from June. 

 

Foreign minister Erkki Tuomioja. Photo - Lehtikuva

Syria, North Korea and Iran -- which had blocked the treaty last week -- voted against it. Russia was among the 23 abstentions.

 

The Treaty establishes provisions for the export, import, transit, trans-shipment and brokering of arms transfers. The Treaty is the first to regulate the global trade in conventional weapons.

 

It contains strong prohibitions and provisions pertaining to international humanitarian law and human rights that must be observed in the transfer of conventional arms.

 

The effects of these provisions must be assessed when exporting arms, ammunition, parts and components. In exporting arms, parts and components, the Treaty requires that the effects of export on gender-based violence must also be considered.

 

This is a significant step forward as an entry in an international Treaty.

 

The treaty can be used to combat the illegal trade in arms, which causes untold human suffering, especially in developing countries as conflicts in the least developed countries, particularly in Africa, are the biggest obstacles to development.

 

The Treaty has been under preparation for many years.

 

The negotiations with a view to the treaty that took place last summer created a solid foundation for the negotiations now held, through which the text of the Treaty has been further strengthened.

 

Finland is one of the seven initiators of the Arms Trade Treaty process, along with Australia, Argentina, Costa Rica, Great Britain, Japan and Kenya.