Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Thank you, President.
New Zealand congratulates you on your Presidency of the Twelfth Conference of States Parties and assures you of our full support.
We also thank all ATT office holders, and the ATT Secretariat for their continued dedication in supporting you during your tenure.
We take this moment to warmly welcome and congratulate Vanuatu and Ecuador, our newest States Parties.
New Zealand also recognises the vital contribution of civil society, academia, and industry to our work. We especially acknowledge the important work of Control Arms, and its donors, on the ATT Monitor. Independent research, transparency initiatives, and constructive engagement by civil society continue to strengthen confidence in the Treaty and support its implementation.
President, in the context of a contested international security environment, the ATT's objectives remain as relevant today as when the Treaty entered into force. It remains our joint responsibility to ensure that the humanitarian and security benefits that can flow from this Treaty are realised, through effective implementation and full universalisation.
New Zealand therefore reiterates the importance of all States Parties fully complying with their Treaty obligations at all times. Rigorous and objective export assessments, effective national control systems, and transparent reporting remain central to ensuring that the Treaty delivers on its humanitarian and security objectives.
President, New Zealand supports continued efforts to strengthen implementation of the Treaty. We remain committed to sharing practical experiences, lessons learned, and best practice approaches through the ATT's working groups and implementation support mechanisms. We also continue to see value in discussions on emerging challenges and evolving risks, while maintaining focus on the Treaty's core obligations and objectives.
New Zealand welcomes the work on draft elements for a Five-Year Strategy for the ATT. We look forward to engaging in discussions to develop a Strategy that provides a practical framework for measuring progress, and ensures that our efforts remain closely connected to the humanitarian imperative that motivated the Treaty's negotiation and adoption.
While many of our discussions are necessarily technical, we must not lose sight of the people affected by armed violence and irresponsible arms transfers. Our technical work is important because of its human consequences. Effective implementation of the ATT contributes to reducing human suffering and promoting international peace and security.
President, we call once again on all States Parties to fulfil their national reporting obligations under the Treaty, and to consider making their reports public, as a contribution to confidence-building among our membership.
In line with our commitment to transparency, we note that New Zealand is in the final stages of modernising our Arms Act, which came into force in 1984. We look forward to updating our Initial Report to the ATT once these legislative changes come into force later this year.
President, New Zealand is committed to working with civil society and will continue to champion their full participation in ATT mechanisms. Indeed, the preamble of the Treaty expressly recognises the active role that civil society can play in supporting Treaty implementation. We call on all States Parties to support civil society’s full participation and engagement in Arms Trade Treaty meetings.
President, New Zealand looks forward to constructive and forward-looking discussions this week and I wish us all success in our collective mission to reduce human suffering.
Thank you.