Rickshaws Race for an Arms Trade Treaty
22 October 2008
Two years ago, after three years of tireless campaigning the Control Arms campaign made a historic breakthrough, when 153 United Nations governments voted in favour of a legally-binding, international treaty.
Since then we've been busy keeping the pressure on decision makers to act. And this October, we're back in New York, undertaking a gruelling month of lobbying, discussions, events and stunts at the UN.
Here, Oxfam campaigner, Oistein Thorsen, explains what the Control Arms Team have been up to in New York.
Teams of campaigners raced around New York in rickshaws, visiting the embassies of all 192 UN member states. And to really make it a challenge we decided that we'd complete this in under 192 minutes. It was a great, and tiring, effort which showed the urgency needed to act on this crucial treaty.
And we weren't just racing around the embassies to try and speak with the ambassadors, we were there on behalf of Archbishop Desmond Tutu who has sent a strong message to every UN member state, calling on them to 'end the slaughter' arising from the uncontrolled arms trade, by giving their backing to a global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) at the crucial upcoming vote at the United Nations.
Supporters of the Control Arms campaign are calling for a strong treaty that will stop the transfer of weapons which fuel conflict, poverty and human rights abuses around the world.
We want an ATT that would reduce the human cost associated with the proliferation of conventional arms.
It would prevent unscrupulous arms suppliers finding the weakest point in the supply chain, and ensure that all arms exporters and importers are abiding by the same high standards regarding the use, management and transfer of arms leading to a more secure world. Already 85 states have indicated that they will vote 'yes' for the treaty by co-sponsoring the resolution.
Millions of people around the world are watching their leaders to make sure that they end this terrible situation. As Archbishop Tutu warned the UN:
"You can and must act to control the deadly trade in weapons that is behind these deaths. There can be no further delay, we can wait no longer."
