Statement on theme of Interagency Cooperation: Tenth Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty

Thank you, President.

I congratulate you on the chosen theme for this Conference. New Zealand agrees that Interagency Cooperation is critical for implementing ATT provisions and we are grateful for this platform to share insights and lessons learned.

New Zealand’s Export Controls Regime is managed by my own agency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. We regularly engage with the New Zealand Police, the New Zealand Customs Service, and the New Zealand Defence Force in fulfilling our obligations under the ATT.

Your working paper encourages the sharing of “information on challenges and solutions for establishing and maintaining interagency cooperation arrangements to effectively implement ATT provisions”.

I would like to share three examples of this from the New Zealand context, with the express acknowledgement that “no one size fits all”:

• First, we automatically share all export permits with the New Zealand Customs Service. If a controlled arm is discovered at the border without a permit, Customs will seize it until we have approved its export, or otherwise.
• Second, we engage with other government agencies, industry stakeholders, and interest groups both directly and through mechanisms such as the New Zealand Firearms Community Advisory Forum. This forum, run by our national Firearms Safety Authority involves firearms community representatives and government agencies, and provides a formal mechanism for the community to feed into arms policy.
• Finally, we engage closely with New Zealand’s Police and Defence Force when finalising our annual ATT report to ensure accuracy and transparency. Both agencies hold information that is essential to providing a full picture of arms trade in New Zealand, including on imports and the potential export of arms to foreign governments. We have learned that clear lines of communication are essential to ensure our report is submitted on time.

We believe that sharing insights through the ATT is one of the practical ways we can all support effective implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty and deliver on its Object and Purpose. 

Thank you.