QUNO Geneva’s Peace and Disarmament programme delivered a statement during the General Debate on Agenda Item 3 at the 58th session of the Human Rights Council to welcome OHCHR’s most recent report on the negative human rights impacts of arms transfers (A/HRC/58/41). The statement was delivered by Yvette Issar, Peace and Disarmament Programme Consultant.

The report reiterates that arms transfers are not a human-rights free zone and highlights five key challenges faced by States and the private sector in preventing, addressing and mitigating the negative human rights impacts of arms transfers. In particular, the report outlines critical gaps in implementing safeguards contained in the Arms Trade Treaty  and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Such safeguards include comprehensive risk assessments and human rights due diligence measures, which, if implemented effectively, would prohibit certain arms transfers. 

QUNO believes that this report identifies promising areas for further action, and its recommendations align with our past and ongoing work on mitigating the human rights impacts of arms transfers. Our statement to the Human Rights Council underscored the valuable role that OHCHR has to play in closing the compliance gaps identified in the report including by providing further analysis and practical guidance on  effective risk assessment and human rights due diligence measures that would serve to prevent prohibited transfers from taking place. We further called on the Council to continue this work including through the next resolution on arms transfers.