06 September 2016 — The Philippine Special Deputy Envoy on Transnational Crime BGen. Rafael S. Romero expressed the Philippines’ continued commitment to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) during the Second Conference of the State Parties to the Arms Trade Treaties (CSP2-ATT) on August 23 in Geneva, Switzerland.
In his statement, BGen. Romero highlighted the Philippines’ initiatives in promoting the Arms Trade Treaty through conducting and participating in various national, regional and international seminars and workshops concerning regulation of arms trade. Among these workshops are the Second Asia Regional Meeting to Facilitate Dialogue on the Arms Trade Treaty and the Workshop on “Building Capacity in Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Control through the United Nations Programme of Action (UN-PoA)” hosted by the Philippines in coordination with the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD) in 2013 and 2015, respectively.
A three-phased technical and legal assistance project to support the ATT implementation will be launched in the Philippines at the end of the year with support from UNRCPD and United Nations Trust Facility Supporting Cooperation on Arms Regulation (UNSCAR).
BGen. Romero pointed out that Republic Act 10697 or the Strategic Trade Management Act (STMA) was enacted in the Philippines in November 2015 to help prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and regulate conventional arms transfer through responsible management of strategic goods and provisions of related services in trade and investment. The Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of this law are currently being drafted. The IRR will establish the Strategic Trade Management Office (STMO), which will be the focal agency in implementing STMA.
The Arms Trade Treaty has 130 signatory states including the Philippines. The Second Conference of the State Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT-CSP2) was held from August 22 to 26 at the World Trade Organization office in Geneva, Switzerland. The Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty is held every year. END
