Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 June 2013
108. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the engagements the Minister of State for Trade and Development had at the United Nations in New York on 3 June, specifically around the signing of the Arms Trade Treaty on behalf of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26790/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland was one of sixty-seven UN Member States to sign the new Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) on 3 June 2013. The Government was represented at the signing ceremony at UN headquarters in New York by the Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Trade and Development, Joe Costello T.D. The Treaty is the first legally binding instrument to regulate the international trade in conventional weapons. States which sign up to the Treaty are prohibited from exporting arms to countries if they know those weapons will be used to commit gross violations of human rights. Minister of State Costello signed the Treaty on the morning of 3 June at a special ceremony in the UN’s Trusteeship Council Chamber. In the afternoon, he attended a high-level Ministerial segment, at which UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was present, and delivered Ireland’s national statement. Highlighting its humanitarian provisions in particular, he described the Treaty as a “strong, robust and comprehensive instrument” that, when fully implemented, “will reduce human suffering and save lives.”
Ireland’s statement at the UN has been well received, including by international civil society organisations, which played such an important role in promoting the ATT process since its inception over six years ago.
In the evening, Minister of State Costello attended a reception to mark the opening for signature of the new Treaty, co-hosted by Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Norway.
In between his ATT-related engagements, the Minister of State attended a working lunch on the Post-2015 development agenda hosted by Ireland’s Permanent Representative to the UN in New York, Ambassador Anne Anderson. A number of key stakeholders involved in the ongoing discussions on a new international development framework to succeed the UN Millennium Development Goals were present at the working lunch. Later in the afternoon, following his ATT statement at the UN, Minister of State Costello attended an Irish community event at the Emerald Isle Community Centre in the Bronx, organised by the Consulate-General.
It is encouraging that so many States were in a position to sign the Arms Trade Treaty with us on 3 June and that others, including the United States of America, have indicated their intention to sign. There have already been additional signatures and I am hopeful this will continue in the coming months. The Treaty will come into force ninety days following ratification by the fiftieth State. I believe that the signing ceremony marks a significant step along the way to the ATT’s entry into force and becoming a reality on the ground – perhaps as soon as 2014.
Nationally, the Government will move to ratify the ATT in the second half of the year. I have instructed officials in my Department to begin preparations to ensure that the requisite steps are taken in good time to allow for early ratification.
Encouraging other countries to sign and ratify the ATT will be of critical importance in the period ahead. Together with our EU partners, Ireland will work towards the entry into force and ultimate universalisation of the Treaty. Discussions are already underway within the EU on how we can best focus our collective efforts and resources to make that a reality. Ireland is playing its full part in those discussions.
