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| Control Arms: one person every minute killed by arms. Crispin Hughes/Oxfam |
Lack of controls on the arms trade fuels conflict, poverty and human rights abuses worldwide.
Oxfam joined the Control Arms campaign in 2003 to demand governments toughen up controls on the arms trade and introduce an international Arms Trade Treaty to stop arms being sold to those likely to misuse them.
Over one million people joined the campaign. In June 2006, the "Million Faces" petition was presented to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. In December 2006, 153 governments voted at the UN to begin work towards an historic, legally-binding international Arms Trade Treaty.
In July 2010, negotiations on the terms of the Arms Trade Treaty will begin in New York, leading up to a conference in 2012. We hope member states will develop, sign and ratify an international Arms Trade Treaty at this conference in 2012.
Oxfam will be at the UN in July to encourage the world to establish a treaty that holds governments to account, and is workable, enforceable and strong enough to save lives.
Oxfam New Zealand is working with partners in the Pacific, supporting peace-building and conflict-resolution initiatives.