Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Thank you, President.
New Zealand thanks the Chair and Facilitators of this Working Group for their work and dedication this year. They have prepared a clear and comprehensive report for this Conference.
It is our joint responsibility to ensure that the humanitarian and security objectives of this Treaty can be realised through its full and effective implementation.
New Zealand regularly calls on States Parties to share their experiences implementing the ATT, including their decision-making processes for permitting, as an important confidence-building measure. For our part, New Zealand’s national control system includes six criteria that we use to assess permit applications. The first three criteria require that exports controlled by New Zealand’s export controls regime be consistent with New Zealand’s international obligations, commitments, and policies. The ATT is one of the treaties that was specifically considered in the design of these criteria, to ensure that our export controls regime gives effect to New Zealand’s legal obligations. Applications to export goods in violation of those legal obligations, including under the ATT, will be declined.
As effective implementation practices, we recommend that all States Parties consider the following:
- First, to submit and make public their annual Article 13 transparency reports;
- Second, to use the language of the Treaty in public-facing materials, including government export webpages, in order to highlight the ATT’s weight in permitting the export of arms;
- Third, to ensure the factors listed in Articles 6 and 7 of the ATT are taken into account in any decision-making process relating to the export of arms;
- Finally, to share these experiences in the Working Group, promoting discussions on good practice.
With this in mind, please allow me to highlight the value of inclusive discussions in the Working Group on Effective Treaty Implementation, including on emerging and longstanding issues.
I thank you.