In a letter to the Head of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee Crispin Blunt, UNA-UK joined other NGOs in calling for the reconstitution of the Committees on Arms Export Controls (CAEC) to resume vital parliamentary oversight of UK arms transfers, including investigations into whether British supplied arms to Saudi Arabia violated international human rights and humanitarian laws during the conflict in Yemen.
Specifically, the letter to Mr Blunt calls on the UK Government to investigate the safeguards it has in place as part of its export agreements, the specific role of UK personnel assisting the Royal Saudi Air Force and the UK's monitoring procedure regarding the Saudi Government’s observance of humanitarian law.
Click here to read the letter to Crispin Blunt MP
The ATT provides an international legal and regulatory framework for the arms trade based on respect for international law and human rights. The under-regulated arms trade has devastating consequences for people around the globe with the black market in small arms and light weapons estimated at $1billion.
UNA-UK believes that the UK has a duty to maintain its long term commitments to the ATT by ensuring it upholds the Treaty in both letter and spirit. If the UK is to set an example to other UN member states, it must continue to demonstrate transparency and accountability with regards to its own overseas exports.
