Campaign Against Arms Trade

Campaign Against Arms Trade challenges the global arms industry, spotlighting the ethical, environmental, and political consequences of weapons sales through peaceful protest and public advocacy.

Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) is a UK-based organisation working to end the international arms trade.

The organisation was founded in 1974 by a coalition of peace groups that included the Quakers. In seeking to end the UK arms trade, CAAT’s priorities are:

• to stop the procurement or export of arms where they might:
• exacerbate conflict, support aggression, or increase tension
• support an oppressive regime or undermine democracy
• threaten social welfare through the level of military spending
• to end all government political and financial support for arms exports
• and to promote progressive demilitarisation within arms-producing countries.

CAAT states:

“The arms business has a devastating impact on human rights and security, and damages economic development. Large scale military procurement and arms exports only reinforce a militaristic approach to international problems. CAAT considers that security needs to be seen in much broader terms that are not dominated by military and arms company interests. A wider security policy would have the opportunity to reallocate resources according to actual threats and benefits, including addressing major causes of insecurity such as inequality and climate change.”

The organisation has been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize (alongside its partners Mwatana for Human Rights, a Yemeni grassroots activist group). The nomination was made by the 1947 Nobel Peace Prize winners, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and Quaker Peace and Social Witness (QPSW). The nomination was made to draw attention to the war in Yemen and CAAT’s efforts to stop arms sales to Saudi Arabia that are fuelling that war.