The vast and diverse Indo-Pacific region presents an array of interlinked security challenges, including persistent armed conflicts, transnational organized crime, and the need to enforce international sanctions against countries like North Korea. According to SIPRI’s ‘Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024’, 3 out of the 25 top arms exporters are located in the region, as well as 11 of the 40 largest arms importers. But, only 18 out of 40 Indo-Pacific countries are state parties to the ATT, which limits attempts to prevent, curb, or regulate conventional arms proliferation across the region.

Phase I ‘Understanding Challenges to the ATT Universalization and Compliance in the Indo-Pacific Region’ investigated factors and challenges behind the low level of ratification; in order to better inform national and regional efforts in advancing universalization and strengthen national implementation. Following the publication of the ‘Realities, Challenges, and Opportunities: The Arms Trade Treaty in the Indo-Pacific Region’ Report in August 2024, launched during the Tenth Conference of States Parties to the ATT, Phase II responds to several priority needs identified by both regional stakeholders and the ATT community.

This second phase of the project seeks to strengthen inter-agency cooperation in support of ATT universalization at both national and regional levels, bringing together key ministries such as defence, trade, foreign affairs, and gender equality, as well as law-enforcement bodies and relevant operational actors. Additionally, it aims to bolster the evidence base demonstrating how the ATT can support the national interests of Indo-Pacific states, as well as provide them with targeted support to better understand and address country-specific challenges to universalization and compliance.

It entails a series of interconnected activities, including:

• capacity support and expert advice to ATT mechanisms, sub-regional organizations, states, and civil society actors, including advisory support, workshop presentations and facilitation, briefings, and side events;
• targeted and short research outputs to strengthen evidence in addressing some of the primary areas of concern voiced by non-ATT states parties in the Indo-Pacific region;
• confidence-building and experience-sharing workshops, aimed at increasing the willingness of diverse and influential stakeholders to engage on topics related to the ATT; and
• policy engagement in international or (sub)-regional events to highlight synergies with the ATT and related policy topics.

Through its various activities, the project will provide:

• confidential spaces for influential national and regional actors to share concerns, experiences and lessons learned regarding the ATT or other arms control instruments;
• evidence-based analysis to address key areas of concern voiced by non-ATT states parties in the Indo-Pacific region;
• access to data, analysis, and knowledge for stakeholders engaged in policy discussions on ATT-related topics; and
• capacity support for global, regional, and national institutional structures involved in ATT universalization and compliance.