Article 15: International Cooperation
1. States Parties shall cooperate with each other, consistent with their respective security interests and national laws, to effectively implement this Treaty.
2. States Parties are encouraged to facilitate international cooperation, including exchanging information on matters of mutual interest regarding the implementation and application of this Treaty pursuant to their respective security interests and national laws.
3. States Parties are encouraged to consult on matters of mutual interest and to share information, as appropriate, to support the implementation of this Treaty.
4. States Parties are encouraged to cooperate, pursuant to their national laws, in order to assist national implementation of the provisions of this Treaty, including through sharing information regarding illicit activities and actors and in order to prevent and eradicate diversion of conventional arms covered under Article 2 (1).
5. States Parties shall, where jointly agreed and consistent with their national laws, afford one another the widest measure of assistance in investigations, prosecutions and judicial proceedings in relation to violations of national measures established pursuant to this Treaty.
6. States Parties are encouraged to take national measures and to cooperate with each other to prevent the transfer of conventional arms covered under Article 2 (1) becoming subject to corrupt practices.
7. States Parties are encouraged to exchange experience and information on lessons learned in relation to any aspect of this Treaty.
The implementation of treaty commitments undertaken by a State at the international level is first and foremost a national responsibility. The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is no different. States Parties are to enact appropriate legislation to be able to comply with the obligations in the Treaty. International cooperation contributes to ensuring that the ATT provisions are applied equally by all States with a view to achieving consistent and effective treaty implementation. International cooperation in the context of the ATT can be taken to mean the interaction and/or collaboration between States Parties to share information, best practices, and experiences among and between each other on a bilateral, plurilateral or multilateral level, with the objective aim of establishing agreed understandings on how to effectively implement their substantive treaty obligations.