Voluntary Trust Fund (VTF)
Article 16(3) of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) provides for the establishment of a Voluntary Trust Fund (VTF) to support national implementation of the Treaty and encourages all States Parties to contribute resources to the Fund.
The VTF was formally established in August 2016 by the Second Conference of States Parties to operate under its approved Terms of Reference (ATT/CSP2/2016/WP3/Rev.1). The VTF shall disburse funds to ATT implementation projects according to the provisions of its Terms of Reference and Administrative Rules. Where necessary, OECD DAC guidelines for development cooperation may also apply.
The operation of the VTF is governed by the following:
VTF Aim
The VTF aims to assist requesting States requiring international assistance to implement their Treaty obligations, including with respect to legal or legislative assistance, institutional capacity building, and technical, material and financial assistance.
VTF Selection Committee
A Selection Committee consisting of up to 15 seats supports the administration of the VTF. Members of the Selection Committee serve for two years and are eligible for reappointment.
The 10 members of the VTF Selection Committee were appointed by CSP10 to serve until CSP12.
These members are:
Canada
Côte d'Ivoire
Dominican Republic
Finland
France*
Germany
Japan
Latvia
Republic of Korea
Switzerland
(United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)*.
In October 2024, Ambassador Thomas Göbel of Germany has been selected as Chair of the VTF Selection Committee for two years concluding at CSP12 via silence procedure.
*In April 2025, the United Kingdom withdrew from the VTF Selection Committee. In October 2025, France was appointed as a member of the VTF Selection Committee via a silence procedure.
VTF Selection Committee Chair's Communication
As part of the VTF's operationalization, the VTF Selection Committee makes a regular Call for Voluntary Contributions to the Fund as well as an annual Call for Proposals.
The most recent communications from the VTF Selection Committee are available here:
Communication - Call for Contributions
Annexes:
- Call for Project Proposals for 2026 VTF cycle (deadline: 23 January 2026) : English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish
Further information
For more information on the VTF see the following:
For any VTF related enquiries, please contact: trustfund@thearmstradetreaty.org