Arms embargo is one of the most commonly used forms of United Nations sanctions. They are intended to make weapons and ammunition less accessible to targeted countries, and thus help prevent conflict-related crimes such as human rights abuses, war crimes and illicit arms trafficking.
However, they are often abused and violated by states that want to bypass them. The UN’s Sanctions Committees, which oversee the imposition and enforcement of embargoes, depend on Member States to monitor the arms trade, impose effective export controls and provide necessary support to prevent violations. Despite the fact that many state and multinational companies are aware that their foreign arms trade may be subject to an arms embargo, they often don’t take appropriate steps to comply with such restrictions.
The arms embargo system must be reformed to ensure that it is a meaningful deterrent to arms proliferation and a credible signal of disapproval for the target state. It should include measures such as commodity bans, which can be complemented with asset freezes to hinder financing of arms procurement. Moreover, it must be strengthened to address the growing risk of proliferation of conventional and cyber warfare technologies – so-called ‘dual-use’ goods that can also be used for military purposes.
It is critical for Canadian civil society organizations, as part of a wide coalition including Just Peace Advocates, to continue to urge the Minister of Foreign Affairs to go beyond his verbal commitment to pausing future arms export approvals to Israel. Canada must cancel existing permits, close export loopholes and implement an arms embargo on Israel under its Special Economic Measures Act that recognizes the necessity of a two-way prohibition on sales to and from Israel. This will stop Israeli universities and arms companies from designing, developing, field-testing and selling weapons and military technology that enable Israel’s apartheid and ongoing siege of Gaza, illegal occupation and military aggression against Lebanon.