Event information

2 December 2016, 12:00-13:30

Downloads

Flyer >

The Worth of the Arms Trade Treaty? Let's Debate!

Event

Adoption of the Arms Trade Treay by the UN General Assembly, 3 April 2013 Adoption of the Arms Trade Treay by the UN General Assembly, 3 April 2013

Adoption in 2013, entry into force in 2014, conferences of state parties in 2015 and 2016, and a legal commentary published in 2016. The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), the first treaty to regulate the conventional arms trade, has an impressive record. But so what? And why should we care?

The authors of the recently published ATT Commentary will take part in a presidential-style debate co-organized in partnership with the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) on a range of issues about the treaty and its implementation.

Panelists

Andrew Clapham, Law Professor at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies and at the Geneva Academy

Gilles Giacca, Legal Advisor at the Arms Unit of the International Committee of the Red Cross

Sarah Parker, Policy Support Officer at the Arms Trade Treaty Secretariat

Stuart Casey-Maslen, Honorary Professor at the University of Pretoria

Moderation

Tobias Vestner, Cluster Leader within the Security and Law Programme of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP).

Closing Remarks

Marie-Gaëlle Robles, Counselor at the Permanent Representation of France to the Conference on Disarmament

Registration

You need to register to attend this event.

Our Research on the ATT

The Geneva Academy accompanied the ATT negotiations, providing legal advice related to international humanitarian law, international human rights law and weapons law.

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

IHL in Focus Spot Report News

Water Wars: How Sudan’s Conflict Weaponizes a Basic Human Need

4 August 2025

Our latest spot report explores how the targeting of water infrastructure is contributing to what is now considered the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, affecting 30 million people.

Read more

EQINET Logo News

In Highlight: Equality Bodies Comparison Dashboard

20 August 2025

Via its DHRTTDs Directory, the Geneva Human Rights Platform provides a comprehensive list and description of such key tools and databases. But how to navigate them? Which tool should be used for what, and by whom? This interview helps us understand better the specificities of the current highlight of the directory: Equality Bodies Comparison Dashboard

Read more

Town Hall Meeting Training

Localizing International Human Rights

8-10 October 2025

This training course, specifically designed for staff of city and regional governments, will explore the means and mechanisms through which local and regional governments can interact with and integrate the recommendations of international human rights bodies in their concrete work at the local level.

Read more

A general view of participants during of the 33nd ordinary session of the Human Rights Council. Training

The Universal Periodic Review and the UN Human Rights System: Raising the Bar on Accountability

10-14 November 2025

This training course will explore the origin and evolution of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and its functioning in Geneva and will focus on the nature of implementation of the UPR recommendations at the national level.

Read more

Sign: National Human Rights Commission of Nepal Project

Local Implementation of Global Human Rights

Started in May 2020

The Geneva Human Rights Platform collaborates with a series of actors to reflect on the implementation of international human rights norms at the local level and propose solutions to improve uptake of recommendations and decisions taken by Geneva-based human rights bodies at the local level.

Read more

A session of the UN Human Rights Council Project

IHL Expert Pool

Started in January 2022

The IHL-EP works to strengthen the capacity of human rights mechanisms to incorporate IHL into their work in an efficacious and comprehensive manner. By so doing, it aims to address the normative and practical challenges that human rights bodies encounter when dealing with cases in which IHL applies.

Read more

Cover of the 2023 Geneva Academy Annual Report Publication

Annual Report 2024

published on July 2025

Read more