The Arms Trade Treaty: Preventing Diversion Through End-Use and End-User Controls

By:  PAULA SOUMAYA DOMIT • RACHEL STOHL • NATALIE BRAMLETT ROB
HUNTER-PERKINS • ISHTIAQ KHAN

Poorly implemented controls on the end use or end user of exported
arms can contribute to the diversion of those arms. This issue brief
is intended to support States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT)
in effectively implementing controls on the end-use/r, using end-use/r
documentation as a key tool to prevent arms diversion. This is in line
with Article 11 of the treaty and in support of the implementation of
other treaty provisions. The issue brief addresses existing discussions and good practices on end-use/r controls and how ATT States Parties use end-use/r controls,
including documentation, within their own diversion-prevention
measures. It also aims to improve understanding of underutilized
potential and to identify options that could be pursued to strengthen
control systems in order to more effectively implement the ATT’s
provisions on diversion prevention and related efforts.
This brief is intended to inform the ongoing exchange of national
implementation practices within the ATT, specifically the discussion
on national import controls, and future deliberations on intersecting
issues.

The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), 2025. 33p.