A New Zealand parliamentarian Wednesday presented a declaration signed by an international group of legislators to United Nations Secretary (UN) General Ban Ki- moon in New York to support a global arms control treaty.

Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) president Ross Robertson said the Control Arms Global Parliamentary Declaration on the Arms Trade Treaty was signed by 2,047 Members of Parliament (MPs) in 96 countries.

The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is being negotiated by all 193 UN member states, including New Zealand, at the UN headquarters from July 2 to 27.

"The main objective of this treaty is to ensure that conventional weapons are not exported to countries or governments which have a poor or questionable human rights track record," Robertson said in a statement.

"Parliamentarians have a key role to play, not only in advocating for an ATT, but to ensure it is widely ratified and upheld."

Eighty-five New Zealand MPs had signed the declaration, along with MPs from Australia, Papua New Guinea, Palau and Samoa, which was "great news from our Pacific neighbors," said Robertson.