On 4 April 2016, Ms. Pornprapai Ganjanarintr, Director-General of the Department of International Organisations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with Mr. Yuriy Kryvonos, Interim Director of the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD), presided over the opening session of the Southeast Asia Workshop on Building Capacity for the Implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty. The Workshop was organised by the United Nations in collaboration with the Royal Thai Government during 4-5 April 2016 at the Landmark Hotel, Bangkok.

          The Workshop aims to provide better understanding on the substance of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) to officials working in relevant fields from countries in Southeast Asia, which will help increase the capability of countries in the region in implementing the Treaty as well. Although there is currently no States Parties to the ATT in Southeast Asia, five countries, namely Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, are signatories and are conducting their internal process to consider ratifying the Treaty. It is expected, however, that the ATT will become an international law governing international arms transfer with a global impact on States Parties and Non-States Parties alike.

          International experts participating in the Workshop came from various sectors:i.e. governments (the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece); the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs; and international civil society (Small Arms Survey and RAND Corporation). Delegates attending the Regional Workshop were government officials from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.

          Thailand co-hosted this regional workshop on Building Capacity for the Implementation of the ATT as a part of its commitment to mitigate and eliminate the impacts of illegal and unregulated international transfers of conventional arms. The effort would also contribute to the prevention and suppression of crime and human rights violation as well as to the maintenance of international peace and security. Thailand signed the Arms Trade Treaty on 25 November 2014 and is in the process towards ratification.