Campaign Against Arms Trade

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Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) is a UK-based organisation which campaigns for an end to the international arms trade. It was founded in 1974 by a group of organisations who were concerned about the growth in the arms trade following the 1973 Arab-Israeli War.

CAAT carries out much of its campaigning work through a network of local groups, which are its main way of raising public awareness about the arms trade and of supporting protests and direct action. The national organisation's work includes coordinating and supporting local groups, publishing information on subjects such as arms manufacturers and recipients of British arms exports, and lobbying the British government on issues relating to the arms trade. CAAT is currently campaigning on three major issues:

1 Campaigning to end Government support for the arms trade
2 Opposing Arms Fairs
3 Advocating ethical investment
4 External links

[edit] Campaigning to end Government support for the arms trade

This campaign focuses to close down the Defence Export Services Organization (DESO). DESO is a UK government department of 500 civil servants that is headed by a seconded arms industry executive. The organisation dedicated to helping private companies sell arms. A broad coalition of political parties, campaigns and advocacy groups, including CAAT, are calling for DESO's closure.[1]

[edit] Opposing Arms Fairs

Arms fairs are key events in the calendar of the global arms trade, enabling buyers and sellers to meet and negotiate deals. CAAT opposes arms fairs such as Defence Systems & Equipment International and Farnborough International. The organisation is also concerned at the involvement of the giant information company Reed Elsevier in arms fairs. Through its subsidiary companies, Reed Exhibitions and Spearhead Exhibitions, Reed Elsevier is responsible for organising arms fairs in several countries across the world. These include DSEi, held every two years in London, and Latin America Aero and Defence. Two UK academics, Dr. Tom Stafford of Sheffield University and Dr Nick Gill, have launched petitions calling on Reed Elsevier to stop organising arms fairs.[2] [3]

[edit] Advocating ethical investment

The Clean Investment campaign encourages investors in the world's largest arms-exporting companies to disinvest for ethical reasons. The campaign was launched in 1991. Many church bodies, charities, universities and health organisations have disinvested from arms producing companies after being lobbied by caat supporters. The campaign revolves around people taking action locally, from writing a one-off letter to an organisation that they are involved in, to holding regular protests.