The UK’s Minister for International Development, the Rt Hon Alan Duncan, insists that a robust United Nations Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) needs to include strong anti-corruption provisions and personally pledges to work hard towards this goal in the run up to the final negotiations in July. 

In his “key address” at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Mr Duncan highlighted the devastating impact of corruption in the arms trade: 

“Corruption is a major problem in the arms trade. The unregulated, covert trade in arms, conducted by corrupt individuals or companies, leads to the diversion of weapons into the illicit market or to dangerous end-users. Corruption also undermines the ability of nations to ensure they are paying a fair and uninflated price for the weapons. Corruption allows individuals to profit from a nation’s pain with impunity.

I will push for the Arms Trade Treaty to address the issues of corruption, bribery and the lack of transparency that allow these practices to continue unnoticed. One of the ways I want the Treaty to do this is by including measures to control arms brokering.  This could be achieved by all States having a register of arms brokers. Such measures will close loopholes by ensuring brokers are accountable to the law wherever they are operating.  States will have to prosecute brokers and all other individuals involved in corrupt practices.”

Rob Wright, the senior ATT expert of Transparency International’s Defence and Security Programme and a former UK Director of Export Control and Non-Proliferation in the then Department of Trade and Industry, applauded Mr Duncan’s speech and suggested that the UK’s efforts “working with international counterparts to try and overcome […] doubts” on strong anti-corruption in a robust ATT should have a particular focus on China and Russia.

Transparency International’s Defence and Security Programme continues to work with states, civil society and the defence industry towards a robust UN Arms Trade Treaty with strong anti-corruption provisions. We are delighted to observe that the inclusion of robust anti-corruption mechanisms in an ATT has received strong support from global investment funds, the defence industry, as well as a substantial number of UN member states negotiating the treaty, and we will build on this momentum in the lead up to the final treaty negotiations in July 2012.

Learn more about our work towards a robust ATT. 

Download Minister Alan Duncan's complete speech.

Read The Financial Times coverage (£) of Minister Alan Duncan's views on the ATT.

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