New York/The Hague, 25 September 2013

As of September 25, 2013, 108 UN Member States have signed the ATT, including the United States and 7 UN Member States have ratified.

PGA President Ross Robertson MP (New Zealand), Assistant Speaker of Parliament stated:

As President of an organization whose members have worked so tirelessly towards the establishment of the ATT over the past 4 years, and more recently with the launch of our Global Parliamentary Campaign for Signature, Ratification and Implementation of the ATT, the fact that more than 100 UN Member States have signed the ATT and 7 have ratified it in less than 15 weeks since it was opened for signature, is an extraordinary accomplishment. I am very pleased that New Zealand has played a leading role in support of the ATT and that the Prime Minister of New Zealand spoke at a special High Level Ceremony of Statements on the ATT at the UN in New York yesterday.

However, this is not a time for complacency. Thousands of men, women and children continue to die or be seriously injured every day worldwide on account of the inadequate regulation of the international arms trade. Women continue to be raped in large numbers in conflict situations and regions. On behalf of PGA, therefore, I urge all UN Member States to now ratify the ATT as soon as possible so that it may enter into force in the very near future. Implementation of the ATT must and will determine its long term successful legacy."

PGA Member Dr. Bernadette Lahai MP (Sierra Leone) commented:

“The signing of the ATT by Sierra Leone earlier today at UN Headquarters in New York is an occasion of which all the citizens of Sierra Leone should be rightly proud. Few countries have suffered the horrific consequences of unregulated arms washing across borders as our country has. The ATT is a vote of confidence in the future, that all right-minded people in the world understand the urgent and moral imperative of preventing conventional weapons being exported to countries and regions where they will simply cause or extend conflict and result in the loss of thousands of lives, terrible life-long injuries and contribute to the committing of large numbers of rape as so often happens in conflict situations. I commend the Government of Sierra Leone for signing the ATT today, but I also urge the Government to move quickly to ratify the ATT as soon as possible so that it may enter into force in the coming few months.”

Hon. Laauli Leuatea Polataivao Fosi Schmidt MP, Speaker of Samoa’s Legislative Assembly and President of the Samoan Branches of Parliamentary Associations and Union remarked:

“This is welcome news and will send a strong message of support for all Pacific nations to stand together and sign up to the ATT for the sake of protecting our region.”

PGA Member Hon. George Payne MP QC (Barbados) commented:

"I am overjoyed to hear that Barbados signed the Arms Trade Treaty today. As a MP participating in the First UN ATT Conference in July 2012, I developed a keen awareness and understanding of how vital this Treaty is for the international community and for our Caribbean region in tackling the terrible toll of violence and death caused by the absence of meaningful regulation of the international arms trade. I now urge the Government to act swiftly to ratify and implement the ATT so we can make it a robust reality and avoid more lives being needlessly lost worldwide."

PGA Member Hon. Alban Bagbin MP (Ghana) remarked:

"It is with immense pride that I have been informed today that Ghana has signed the Arms Trade Treaty. In so doing, we join a rapidly growing number of UN Member States that have taken this crucial step in making the world a safer place for all our peoples. Africa has endured immense suffering and loss of human life in the past 50 years as a result of the weak regulation of the international arms trade. This must stop. I, therefore, urge the Government to now take all necessary steps so that it can ratify the ATT without delay and ensure that this vital international treaty enters into force in the very near future."

Dip.Yonhy Lescano (Peru) commented:

"I am extremely proud to learn that the Government of Peru has signed the Arms Trade Treaty today at the 68th Session of the UN General Assembly. The poor regulation of the international arms trade and its devastating consequences in terms of human life and suffering worldwide is well known. Sadly, here in Peru, we have not been strangers to serious internal conflict, violence and loss of human life arising therefrom. The ATT presents the international community with its best opportunity ever to put an end to this horrific cycle of death and misery. I now urge my Government, having signed the ATT, to move quickly to ratify it so that we can be among the first 50 UN Member States that do so and that is required for the ATT to enter into force."

PGA Member Dep. Théophile Madjitoloum Yombombe (Chad) remarked:

"I am very happy to see that Chad signed the Arms Trade Treaty last week. Having participated in pushing for a signature, I have come to realize the importance of this signature for my country, the African continent, and on the international level. Today, I congratulate and urge my Government to ratify the ATT as quickly as possible in order to make this treaty a reality. This would avoid a great loss of innocent lives and vulnerable groups on a global scale"