Eighteen countries, including five of the world's leading arms exporters, ratified a landmark treaty regulating the multibillion-dollar global arms trade today, giving a significant boost to the campaign for the treaty's entry into force.
The ambassadors of the 18 countries handed over the documents at a UN ceremony on the first anniversary of General Assembly's adoption of the Arms Trade Treaty, which is aimed at stemming the global illegal weapons trade, estimated at between USD 60 billion and USD 85 billion.
The new ratifications bring the total number to 31, more than half of the 50 needed for the pact to enter into force. Five of the world's top 10 arms exporters Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain turned in their ratification documents at the ceremony.
The other 13 were Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Malta, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.
Among the hold-outs is the United States, the world's largest weapons exporter. The Obama administration has signed the treaty but there is strong resistance in the US Senate, which much ratify it.
UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson urged all 193 UN member states to sign and ratify it without delay.
"Every day, we witness the human cost of the irresponsible transfer of weapons," Eliasson said.
"Civilians are still being killed, maimed, or driven from their homelands because weapons and ammunition remain in the hands of warlords, terrorists, human rights abusers and organized criminal gangs.
