Su’a William
SIO

MP for Mangere

4 June 2014 MEDIA STATEMENT

PGA NZ congratulates Samoa ratifying the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT)

Labour’s Su’a William Sio, Chair of the New Zealand Parliamentarians for Global Action and MP for Māngere, congratulates Samoa for signing and ratifying the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT).

“Samoa is leading the way with being the first in the South Pacific region to ratify the treaty. Other Pacific countries Tuvalu, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau and Vanuatu have signed the ATT, but have yet to ratify it,” said Su’a William Sio

The ATT is a multilateral treaty that regulates the international trade in conventional weapons and is significant in its goals to reduce the illicit arms trade and help curb human suffering caused by the illegal and irresponsible arms transfers and to improve regional security and stability, as well as to promote accountability and transparency by state parties concerning transfers of conventional arms.

To date, 118 countries have signed the ATT and 40 have ratified it, which means that only 10 more States are now needed for the ATT to enter into force which is a critical milestone for any international treaty.

“While New Zealand was one of the first to sign the ATT, the government needs to act now and ratify the treaty in order to be part of this important group of 50 UN Member States that will bring the ATT into force once the goal of 50 States have signed”, said Su’a William Sio.

© Scoop Media