National Points of Contact
What is a National Point of Contact?
A National Point of Contact (NPC) is a person or entity designated by a State Party to be the primary or main point of contact on information exchange regarding ATT implementation matters, in accordance with Article 5(6). A State Party may appoint more than one NPC. Where more than one individual or entity is designated as the NPC, it is advisable for a State Party concerned to make necessary internal coordination arrangements.
How to notify the ATT Secretariat of a National Point of Contact?
It is the responsibility of the State Party to inform the ATT Secretariat as to the identity of their NPC, in accordance with Article 5(6) of the ATT. A State can designate one or several NPCs. To designate a NPC, a formal communication such as a note verbale is required to be sent to the ATT Secretariat by the relevant Ministry or Head of Department via email to: info@thearmstradetreaty.org. To facilitate the administration of the NPC database, the details required to be communicated are:
- Name;
- Job title/Position;
- Government Ministry or Department;
- Email(s);
- Telephone number(s), and
- Office address of
the designated National Point of Contact.
Each State Party is encouraged to establish a dedicated email address for the NPC so that the contact email address for the NPC does not change, even if the individual person fulfilling the role does.
In case of a change of NPC, this information can be communicated by the previous NPC to the ATT Secretariat at: info@thearmstradetreaty.org. The ATT Secretariat maintains a list of current NPCs in the restricted area of the ATT website, which can only be accessed by representatives of States Parties that have requested and been granted access to the restricted area. Access to the restricted area of the ATT website is useful for National Points of Contact when fulfilling their role. Anyone wishing to have access to the restricted area must apply through the website by following this link (here). It should be noted that whilst any number of representatives of a State Party can have access to the restricted area, only one username and password can be used by each State Party to access the online reporting tool.
What are the roles and responsibilities of a National Point of Contact?
The role of a State Party’s NPC is to facilitate the exchange of information on Treaty Implementation. The NPC is expected to act as the primary liaison on all matters related to Treaty implementation and serve as the key source of knowledge and information on national implementation of the ATT.
This includes being a source of information on the ATT for persons within the State Party itself, as well as a source of information for the ATT Secretariat.
Some of the specific activities the NPC could engage in with respect to the ATT Include:
· exchange information on matters related to the implementation of this Treaty (Article 5(6));
· first point of call for exchange of information regarding Articles 6, 7 and 11;
· provide information on the status of ATT implementation;
· assist in the provision of relevant information to a requesting exporting State Party (Article 8(1));
· assist in the provision of cooperation and exchange of information in the prevention, detection and mitigation of diversion (Article 11));
· serve as the liaison on matters related to the State Party’s reporting under the ATT;
· serve as the liaison on matters related to the State Party’s financial contributions to the ATT; and
· participate in ATT meetings.
The ATT Secretariat has developed the ATT National Points of Contact Guidance Document to provide guidance on the role and tasks of the NPC to exchange information on matters related to implementation of the ATT. The guide is a voluntary, non-prescriptive and living document designed to help NPCs to undertake their roles and responsibilities in accordance with Article 5(6). The Guidance document is available here in all UN languages (English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish).
Database of National Points of Contact
Article 18 (3) of the ATT mandates the ATT Secretariat to ‘maintain and make available to States Parties the list of national points of contact’. In accordance with this mandate, the ATT Secretariat has established a database of current ATT National Points of Contact that is available to States Parties on the restricted area of the website. This database contains contact details of States Parties current ATT National Points of Contact. Access to the restricted area is restricted to States Parties only and to a limited extent Signatory States. The database can be accessed here.
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