The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
December 24, 2014

U.N. Arms Trade Treaty Takes Effect; U.S. Hasn't Ratified 
----------------------------------------------------------


 
The world's first-ever treaty regulating the global arms trade has taken
effect. The United Nations Arms Trade Treaty legally enters force today
following its approval last year. It subjects exporters in the $85
billion global weaponry industry to strict criteria in an effort to
prevent acts of genocide or terrorism. The United States is the world's
largest weapons exporter. It signed the treaty last year, but the Senate
has not yet ratified it. In a statement, the group Oxfam celebrated the
treaty's implementation, saying: "The Arms Trade Treaty will transform
the global arms business. ... It will no longer be acceptable to look
the other way when arms are transferred to regimes that will use them to
harm innocent people and violate their human rights."

 

.