Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation: Comparison of the 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons with the 2013 Arms Trade Treaty

The contribution compares the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons(NPT) with the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), the UN treaty dealing with the international trade of conventional weapons. Both treaties aim to contribute to international and regional peace, security and stability, avoiding conflicts and reducing human suffering. None of them is a disarmament treaty in the strict sense: NPT has a non-proliferation scope; ATT does not prohibit the production nor the international trade in conventional arms but aims to establish common international standards for the regulation of the international trade and fight against illicit trade in conventional arms. The contribution analyzes similarities and differences between NPT and ATT focusing on three key issues: universality, non-discrimination, confidence building measures (CBMs) and effectiveness through strong control systems.