One Shot in 2012 for a Bullet Proof Arms Trade Treaty

Transcription

1 One Shot in 2012 for a Bullet Proof Arms Trade Treaty Contents Page Campaign updates 1 Take action: lobby your MP 3-6 Take action: write to your local media & creative ideas 7-8 Resources 9-12

2 INTRODUCTION This July, world leaders will meet in New York to draw up the first ever international Arms Trade Treaty. This treaty could save countless lives and help prevent human rights abuses across the world but we have just one shot to get it right. As part of the Control Arms coalition, Oxfam and Amnesty International are campaigning together in the UK to ensure that the UK government plays a leading role in the negotiations. Recent atrocities in Syria provide a tragic and timely reminder of the human cost of an unregulated arms trade - every day at least 2,000 people around the world die from direct and indirect consequences of armed violence and conflict. As the final negotiations on the treaty approach, the pressure for a strong treaty is building. Although many governments are in favour of a strong Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), some would prefer a weaker one. The biggest arms exporters, including the USA, China and Russia, are arguing for looser rules covering a narrower range of weapons. Their position in the negotiations makes it all the more important that the UK also a major arms exporter maintains and strengthens its support for an effective treaty. The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) isn t just about technical debates and diplomatic deals and fixes. The treaty will only work if it has a strict set of binding rules that will help saves lives. The treaty has to make it absolutely clear that arms sales must not be authorised where there is a risk they will fuel conflict, poverty or serious human rights abuses. After 10 years of dedicated campaigning, we are on the verge of making this treaty a reality. But we have less than 100 days before negotiations begin. WHAT HAPPENED AT THE UN PREPARATORY MEETING? In mid-february, a team of Controls Arms campaigners went to New York for the fifth and final Arms Trade Treaty preparatory negotiations (PrepCom). The order of business for the final PrepCom was rules of procedure. These rules will lay the essential foundations for how July's historic Treaty negotiations are run and how decisions will be taken. After a week of heated debates and discussion (and lots of lobbying from us!), governments reached agreement on the rules of procedures. The decision on this is to allow a mix of consensus and majority voting. However many states will interpret this agreement offering a way to veto progress but it is constrained. We are therefore left with a challenging environment to achieve the strong treaty we want to see. The other key area of debate was around civil society participation at UN July Conference. Countries including Syria and Egypt - who continue to use weapons against their own people - were arguing to keep us out. Thankfully, the UK championed our right to be in the room during the final negotiations. To find out all the inside scoop on the latest news and talks you can go to

3 WHERE DOES THE GOVERNMENT CURRENTLY STAND? The UK Government played a positive role in the February negotiations and we recognise this hard work, thanks in part to the amazing campaigning and action-taking by Oxfam and Amnesty supporters. However with the language of 'compromise' still present, we are not going to take off any of the pressure. Our efforts have resulted in strong statements from Ed Miliband, Leader of the Labour party, Foreign Secretary William Hague (via social media pressure) and from Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg. All three statements include a commitment the highest possible standards. Now it s time for David Cameron to break his silence and start championing human rights and development during the talks in July. WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO NOW? We need to achieve top level political commitment for a strong ATT. This is important because health, education and other services are being denied and livelihoods destroyed. The world needs a strong Arms Trade Treaty that will prevent arms transfers if they are likely to contribute directly to serious human rights abuses or poverty. The Treaty must cover all conventional arms, including ammunition. This is a significant campaign challenge. Our strategy must be to ensure that UK government feels pressure to deliver the strongest possible ATT from David Cameron and in the form of scrutiny from a well-informed UK Parliament, building on the longstanding cross-party support for the ATT as well as from civil society. TAKE ACTION We believe an educated and supportive UK Parliament will significantly increase our chances of securing the strongest possible treaty. From now until June, we d like you to: 1. Arrange a meeting with your MP (ideally during the month of May) 2. Raise the profile of the ATT by writing to your local media 3: Create awareness by creatively promoting the campaign and using social media 4. Collect as many signatures as possible for our petition to David Cameron. The offline petition is at the rear of this pack. Online it is at: ACTION 1: ORGANISE A MEETING WITH YOUR MP IN MAY MPs have a critical role in ensuring that the UK Government delivers on its commitments for a robust Arms Trade Treaty and the most effective way of getting their support is by meeting face-to-face with their constituents who care about this issue. It s crucial that we keep up pressure up until the July negotiations. Here's are some of the things we're asking MPs to do. You'll find more information in the parliamentary briefing provided with this mailing. Write to David Cameron asking him to make a robust public statement in support of a strong and effective ATT.

4 Write to the ministers for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO), Department for International Development (DFID), Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the Department for Business, Innovations and Skills (BIS) urging them to devote the necessary resources and political capital to securing an effective treaty. Raise questions in Parliament. Table a debate on the ATT in Westminster. Join the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Weapons and Protection of Civilians Follow the negotiations in July Via the control arms twitter How to set up a meeting with your MP Ask for an appointment using the sample letter provided in this pack as a guide (we have provided specific messages for each of the parties) and you should also enclose the parliamentary briefing ( for extra copies see the resources section). Getting a meeting with your MP can take up to two months so do this as soon as possible. We're aware that many groups cover various constituencies and may not get the opportunity to visit all the MPs. If you'd like further advice on which MP you should try to meet, please contact the Activism Team. Research your MP on to find out more about her/his position and interests. Does s/he sit on any relevant Select Committees (for e.g. Defence, Foreign Affairs etc.) or All-Party Parliamentary Groups? Jo Swinson MP Work with other like-minded organisations. Why don t you get involve with other groups who would have an interest in the issue and ask them to join the meeting (for e.g. Amnesty groups, community groups, UNA groups etc.) At the meeting, hand out a parliamentary brief. These are available from your local Oxfam Activist Coordinators. Have your picture taken with your MP. You can order free Control Arms placards or banners for the image from your local Oxfam Activist Coordinators. You ll be able to use these pictures for local media or you could write an article about your meeting for your website or your newsletter. Send us your feedback of your meeting and copies of any responses from your MP.

5 TWEET YOUR MP Do you use twitter? An increasing number of MPs use it regularly and love to hear from their constituents that way. Why not tweet them a message to your MP to support the ATT? Here are some examples you could use to encourage your MP to take part you could also use these before you meet your MP and encourage your followers to send them as here] save thousands of lives - ask Cameron to commit to a robust #armstreaty. I m calling here] to save lives by being a champion for a robust #Armstreaty After lobbying your MP, why not send a tweet to your MP thanking them for their time it s a great way to build a relationship with your MP online. here] for meeting us and agreeing to be an #Armstreaty champion please let us know David Cameron s response. Thank here] for agreeing to pass on our calls for a robust #ArmsTreaty to David Cameron To find out if your MP is on twitter visit

6 Sample letter to MP Dear [insert name of MP], I am writing to you to ask for a meeting to discuss the Arms Trade Treaty with you in May and to urge you to write to David Cameron on this issue, asking him to express his support for a robust and human rights compliant Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) my MP, I would like you to know how important I think it is that a robust and comprehensive ATT is agreed into international law at the UN this summer. The irresponsible and poorly regulated arms trade fuels serious human rights abuses, armed violence, poverty and conflict around the world. We are now months away from negotiations which could deliver a Treaty which would save countless lives; therefore I strongly believe that now is the time to increase the call for a strong ATT - both here in the UK and with international partners. < Insert this text if you have a Labour MP: As you may be aware, when in government the Labour Party was a global champion for a strong ATT. Ed Miliband recently reinforced your Party s commitment by saying ''Labour believes that it is vital that a robust and effective global Arms Trade Treaty is negotiated this year with comprehensive scope and robust parameters''.> <Insert this text if you have a Liberal Democrat MP: As you may be aware, the Liberal Democrat Party has long recognised the importance of a robust ATT. Now in government, through the Coalition Agreement, the Liberal Democrats have committed to establishing an ATT to limit the sales of arms to dangerous regimes. The Deputy Prime Minster recently reinforced this commitment by saying; Internationally, we'll lead the charge for a robust, legally-binding treaty, covering all conventional weapons.we'll press states who sign up to block sales that fuel conflict or fail to meet the treaty's obligations on human rights. > <Insert this text if you have a Conservative MP: As you may be aware, the Conservative Party has supported calls for a robust ATT since Now in government, through the Coalition Agreement, they have committed to establishing an ATT to limit the sales of arms to dangerous regimes. The Foreign Secretary, William Hague, recently reinforced this commitment by saying; The UK has played a key role in driving forward efforts to secure the Treaty since introducing the initial UN Resolution in 2006, and the Government remains totally committed to securing a robust and effective Arms Trade Treaty, with strong human rights and international law provisions at its core. As you may be aware William Hague, who as Foreign Secretary has UK responsibility for ATT negotiations, has stated that the UK government is supportive of an ATT.> I welcome UK government support for an ATT; however I think it is extremely important that the UK team are more than just supportive but that they must take a leading role. It would be a travesty if a treaty which does not include human rights was agreed; a weak treaty which is not broad in its scope and robust in its criteria will not protect people s lives. It is essential, for example, that not only guns are included, but ammunition as well. Guns do a lot more damage when loaded, after all. Most importantly, the world needs a strong ATT that will prevent arms transfers if they are likely to contribute directly to serious human rights abuses or poverty. I believe that certain countries wish to dilute the treaty to such an extent that arms could still be transferred to states in which there is a substantial risk they would be used to abuse human rights. The UK must maintain a strong position in countering the arguments from these countries; it is both morally and economically in its interest to do so since comparatively the UK already has fairly strict export controls on arms. Therefore a globally level playing field would be a positive economic development for the UK. For the UK government to keep up the pressure on all UN Member States, I think it important for Parliament and the public to keep up the pressure here in the UK. I look forward to hearing from you. I enclose a parliamentary briefing on the issue for your information. Best wishes,

7 ACTION 2: WRITE TO YOUR LOCAL MEDIA Local press can be very influential in putting issues on the agenda of your local MP, so why no write a letter to editor of your local paper? You can use the template letter below and include the photo of your meeting with your MP. Sample letter to the Editor Sir, Every day, more than 2,000 people die as a result of the direct and indirect consequences of armed violence and conflict. That s more than one person a minute. This July David Cameron and other world leaders have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to agree a new treaty which could literally help to save these lives. A new international, legally-binding arms trade treaty would, for the first time, ensure that the arms trade is globally regulated and that the transfer of weapons is closely monitored and scrutinised. But this new law can only prove effective if it includes the essential principle that stops weapons ending up in places where there s a strong chance that they could be used to fuel atrocities and poverty. And of course, it must include all weapons and munitions which can be used for military and security purposes. This week, Oxfam [insert group name] will visit [name of MP] to ask [him / her] to urge the Prime Minister to make the call for the strongest possible treaty at the United Nations this July. [xxxx s] lobbying of the Prime Minister is crucial, the UK has a vital role to play in creating a bulletproof arms trade treaty. In the time it s taken you to read this, about two people have died armed violence and conflict. Cameron s decision this July is literally a matter of life and death. Let s make sure he makes the right choice. To find out more and to take action, visitwww.oxfam.org.uk/controlarms Yours sincerely [Name of Oxfam Group representative]

8 ACTION 3: RAISE AWARNESS CREATIVELY There are so many compelling visual elements to this campaign that we would love you to tap into. Here are some creative ways for you to raise awareness: Cut out paper people and have people sign their names (including their postcode) on each paper person instead of the petition. Bring this to your meeting with your MP, or send it to their constituency office to explain that you are Joining arms against the arms trade. Write a killer fact (found on on to paper chains and leave them in trees, on supermarket trollies, stick them on to train station ticket machines or anywhere you can think of, to drive people to sign the petition. Astonishingly, it is easier to trade weapons than bananas! Write this in marker pen upon bananas, including the URL: and place the bananas in prominent places. Take a picture of your tagged banana and upload it to your Facebook page or Twitter profile. Use paper chains or bananas on campaigning stalls set up in your community. Have people write their own messages on bananas, or cut out their own paper chain to take home and get signed by their friends and family. Hopefully these ideas fire your imagination. Let us know of other creative action you get involved with. ACTION 4: COLLECT SIGNATURES FOR OUR PETITON We need the Prime Minister's full support before the meetings in July so please collect as many signatures as possible before 1st June and return the completed petitions to the Activism Team. You'll find copies of the petition in this mailing but you can download extra copies by going to local groups section of our website. The Control Arms petition is online at

9 RESOURCES To order these free materials and picture designs, contact your local Oxfam Activist Coordinator. Stickers Banners Placards stickers Parliamentary briefing Pictures to print and share

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