Trade in Conventional Arms and International Law

Since the end of the Cold War, the proliferation of conventional weapons, particularly small arms and light weapons, has had profoundly negative effects on human security and social and economic development in many parts of the world.  On 2 April 2013, negotiations on an international treaty to regulate transfers of conventional arms and ammunition culminated in the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of the text of a treaty.  Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom were amongst a group of over 150 nations that voted in favour of the adoption of the text of the treaty.  Only three States (Iran, North Korea and Syria) voted against the adoption of the text, although 23 States abstained from voting and those abstaining included China, India and Russia.  The treaty entered into force in 2014.