Agreement On Arms Trade Treaty

Scots Dad welcomes major milestone for Arms Trade Treaty, legislation will enter into force within months.

David Grimason, whose son was killed by a gunman with an illegal weapon, has strongly welcomed news that today 50 states will have ratified the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). 

It means the global Treaty will enter into international law before the end of the year. 

A group of states will jointly announce they have ratified the Treaty at an event at the United Nations in New York, taking it beyond the 50 required to enter into force. 

Representatives from seven states, including Argentina, The Bahamas, The Czech Republic, Portugal, Senegal, St Lucia and Uruguay, will deposit their ratifications. 

The move triggers a 90-day countdown to the Treaty becoming international law on December 24, 2014 – only 18 months after it first opened for signature, in June 2013. 

David Grimason said: 

"Today marks a crucial step in bringing the Arms Trade Treaty into force. The fact that 50 states have ratified it so quickly shows just how important this Treaty is and just 90 days from today it will become international law.

"For me, this journey has been a highly personal one, my son was killed by a man with an illegal gun and everyone who loved him has suffered a terrible loss.

"Today brings hope that other families won’t have to experience that pain."

Georgia and Namibia will also sign the Treaty, the step prior to ratification, today, taking the total number of countries who have signed to 121 so far. 

The ATT is the first global agreement to regulate the $85bn annual trade in arms and ammunition. Figures released by the UN’s refugee agency UNHCR in June showed 33m people fled armed violence in the previous 12 months. 

Director of the Control Arms Coalition Anna Macdonald said: 

"The ATT will enshrine into international law much-needed controls on the multi-billion-dollar arms trade for the first time. 

"Civilians have been paying too high a price for the lack of global arms controls which have permitted arms and ammunition to be legally transferred into the hands of dictators and warlords. But the game is up now – those days are over. Now governments have the chance to change the arms trade for good and, if rigorously implemented, this treaty will save lives."

To mark passing the landmark figure of 50 ratifications, Control Arms, the global civil society network advocating for the ATT, has launched a new project called '50 celebrating 50'. 

The project features 50 key individuals, including David Grimason, from across States, civil society and the UN, whose leadership has been vital to ensuring the ATT becomes a reality. 

David's son Alistair was shot dead during a holiday to Turkey in 2003. He was asleep in his pram in a cafe when an argument broke out at a nearby table and a man, armed with an illegal gun, opened fire, killing the toddler from East Kilbride. 

Mr Grimason, who now lives in Aberdeen, has campaigned alongside Oxfam and the wider Control Arms coalition, for new global rules ever since. 

David added: 

"I truly welcome the work and commitment of so many people that have made this legislation possible. To stand amongst the '50 celebrating 50' is an honour and I look forward to continuing the campaign to ensure this treaty is properly enforced.” 

Jamie Livingstone, Head of Oxfam Scotland, said: 

"It is thanks to people like David Grimason that this Treaty will soon become law. Over more than a decade he has campaigned for the world to join forces to tackle the illegal flow of arms. 

"Every day, up to 2,000 people are killed by armed violence and millions more live in fear of rape, assault and displacement caused by weapons getting into the wrong hands. 

"This human cost is truly disgusting and lives will be saved by this strong global action."