UN weapons conference in Mexico 'litmus test' of Arms Trade Treaty

An upcoming UN conference in Mexico on the arms trade will serve as a "litmus test" of the global community's commitment to curbing weapons trafficking, rights activists say.

The United Nations-sponsored First Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), due to open on Monday in the Caribbean resort of Cancun, is being described as a key gathering to collectively tackle the problem.

"Cancun is the first major litmus test of the Arms Trade Treaty, and a great opportunity for countries to make history by pursuing the goals of the treaty designed to save lives," Mexican daily La Jornada quoted Marek Marczynski, Amnesty International's head of military, security and police, as saying on Thursday.

Participants at the meeting "should focus on effective and transparent regulation that will put an end to the human suffering caused by the reckless circulation of conventional weapons," added Marczynski.

Host Mexico, where criminal groups often appear to outgun the authorities, has highlighted the problem at UN General Assembly sessions.

"Mexico will remain closely involved in the efficient implementation of the treaty, and will continue to show its leadership in favor of clear and effective regulation of the global trade in weapons," the government has said.

The ATT was adopted by the UN General Assembly in April 2013, and went into effect in December of 2014. Some 130 countries have signed the treaty, but only 72 of them have ratified it.