UK Ministers will travel to New York next week for the United Nations General Assembly. One of the issues that the UK will be championing is the Arms Trade Treaty and the 25th of September could be another landmark day as we hope that more states will add their signatures to this important treaty at the UN Secretary General’s signing ceremony.

Alistair Burt signed the Arms Trade Treaty when it opened for signature on 3 June and he will be in New York to meet with fellow co-authors of the Arms Trade Treaty as well as to encourage other states to sign. Since opening for signature, over eighty states have signed the treaty. Fifty ratifications are required to bring the treaty into force. The UK is working hard to encourage states to sign and to ratify, to ensure swift entry into force. By the end of September, we hope to have hit the 100 mark of treaty signatures.

In this video Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt explains why the British government is championing this issue.

Why has the British government championed this issue?

Alistair Burt is asked what difference will the Arms Trade Treaty make?

What difference will the Arms Trade Treaty make?

Further information

Find out which states have signed the Arms Trade Treaty

Follow Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt on twitter @AlistairBurtFCO

Follow the UK’s Mission to the United Nations on twitter @UKUN_NewYork

Photo credit: UN Photo/Mark Garten