The Atlantic Treaty Association (ATA) is an independent organization designed to support the values enshrined in the North Atlantic Treaty. Established on June 18, 1954, it is an umbrella organization of the distinct national associations, voluntary organizations and non-governmental organizations that formed to uphold the values of the Alliance after its creation in 1949. The Youth Atlantic Treaty Association (YATA) is the youth association. branch of the ATA and was established in 1996.
- The role of the ATA is to educate and inform the public about NATO’s activities and responsibilities, to promote democracy and, more generally, to uphold the values of the North Atlantic Treaty.
- ATA’s flagship events facilitate networking and policy debates among political leaders, academics, diplomats and journalists from the Euro-Atlantic area and beyond.
- THE YATA – the youth wing of the ATA – plays a similar role, helping to bridge the gap between politicians and younger generations of civil society in the areas of international security and defense.
- The ATA was established in June 1954, becoming the umbrella organization for existing national associations, while the YATA was established in 1996.
- Since the end of the Cold War, ATA and YATA activities have expanded significantly to include new NATO member states and countries engaged in partnership with the Alliance.
The role of ATA and YATA
HAS
The ATA is a community of policymakers, think tanks, diplomats, academics and industry representatives. It aims to inform the public about NATO’s role in international peace and security and to promote democracy, individual freedom and the rule of law through debate and dialogue.
To achieve this goal, it organizes international seminars and conferences and launches initiatives such as the Central and South-East European Security Forum and the Ukraine Dialogue and Crisis Management Simulations. ATA is also active in NATO’s Partnership for Peace (PfP) program, the Mediterranean Dialogue and the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, launching conferences, seminars and multi-year research programs. As a result, the geographic scope of the ATA has expanded since the end of the Cold War, i.e. since the early 1990s, mirroring the enlargement of NATO and its engagement with an ever-increasing number of partner countries in the Euro-Atlantic area and beyond.
The ATA also cooperates with various organizations related to Euro-Atlantic security, such as ATA member associations, member association governments, the European Union, NATO and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. It also promotes the development of civil society, for example in the Black Sea and Caucasus regions, and engages in dialogue with countries in the Middle East.
More generally, the ATA promotes debate and dialogue with the aim of creating a solid understanding of Alliance issues and current security issues such as hybrid warfare, cybersecurity and terrorism. Additionally, it works to develop relationships between organizations from different countries by connecting with civil society groups that support the basic principles of the North Atlantic Treaty. In addition, it seeks to develop relationships between its members with the aim of achieving common objectives.
YATA
The ATA Youth Division – YATA – was established in 1996 at the ATA General Assembly in Rome with the aim of reaching younger generations or “successors”.
It serves to bring together groups of young professionals working in the security and defense field, providing a networking opportunity between them and senior officials from different countries. It works closely with the ATA, supports its activities and shares its primary objectives. These include educating and informing the next generation on issues related to international security, supporting research into NATO’s role in the world, and encouraging young leaders to shape the future transatlantic security relations while promoting their importance.
YATA also seeks to encourage cooperation between young people from NATO and partner countries, as well as between various international organizations in order to spark debate on the role of security institutions.
Although YATA is officially part of the ATA, it also organizes separate activities to achieve its goals, such as its annual Atlantic Youth Seminars in Denmark (DAYS) and Portugal (PAYS), as well as management simulations crisis and regional conferences. YATA also works with NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division to organize international conferences and seminars where YATA national sections can meet with Alliance leaders and officials, including the NATO Secretary General , to discuss transatlantic security issues.
Working mechanisms
Structure
The ATA is made up of three main bodies: the Assembly, the Bureau and the Council, as well as the YATA and the Patrons Committee.
The Assembly is the principal decision-making body of the ATA and is composed of delegates from member associations, associate members and observer members. With the exception of observer members, each delegate has one vote and resolutions are adopted by simple majority. In addition to delegates, members of the press and academic community, government and military officials, and international observers may attend the General Assembly meetings, which take place once a year.
The Bureau includes the president, vice-presidents, general secretary, treasurer, YATA president and legal advisor. Bureau members contribute to the execution of Council and Assembly decisions and provide assistance on policy matters, in addition to developing relationships with other groups such as the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
The Council comprises members of the Bureau and up to three delegates from each of the ATA member associations, associate members and observer members. The ATA allows the Council to act on its behalf, with the recommendation of the Bureau and the approval of the Assembly. The Council meets twice a year: once at NATO Headquarters and once in a host country.
The YATA
The Youth Atlantic Treaty Association is officially part of the ATA. It serves as the youth division of the ATA and has its own structure, activities and programs. Like the ATA, there are separate national youth divisions.
The patrons committee
The Patrons Committee is comprised of past ATA presidents and others who have served the ATA with merit.
Officers
The president of the ATA is responsible for the general policy of the Association, in addition to being its spokesperson. The Assembly, with the contribution of the Council, elects the president for a period of three years.
The General Secretary of the ATA is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the association, promoting its aims and objectives, implementing the decisions of the Assembly, Council and Bureau and maintaining relationships with various other institutions. The Assembly, with the contribution of the Council and the Bureau, elects the Secretary General for a renewable period of three years.
The Assembly also elects the treasurer, responsible for financial matters, for a renewable period of three years.
Membership
There are three different types of ATA membership: members, associate members and observers.
Members
National associations from NATO member countries can join the ATA as members. As such, they can attend and participate in meetings of the Bureau, the Council and the Assembly. They also have full voting rights.
Associate members
The national associations that make up ATA Associate Members come from non-NATO countries that have signed up to NATO’s PfP program. Associate members can attend and participate in meetings of the Bureau, the Council and the Assembly. Once an association’s respective country joins NATO, the association automatically becomes a member. Like members, associate members also have full voting rights.
Observer members
Associations of non-NATO countries that have a direct interest in Euro-Atlantic security issues may participate in the ATA as observer members. As observer members, national associations can attend and participate in meetings of the Council and the Assembly, but not in meetings of the Bureau. In addition, unlike members and associate members, observer members do not have voting rights.
Evolution of the ATA
After the creation of the Alliance in 1949, several separate organizations in NATO member countries were established with the aim of informing the public about the role and activities of NATO. A few years later, these organizations came together under the aegis of the Atlantic Treaty Association when the latter was created on June 18, 1954.
Public debate and discussion focused on NATO’s activities during the Cold War, but with the dissolution of the Soviet Union – and with it the Warsaw Pact – ATA’s attention broadened. The ATA examines security issues related to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, North Africa and the Middle East, as well as the Caucasus and Central Asia.
The creation of YATA in 1996 allowed the organization to tailor its communications specifically to younger generations in an effort to raise awareness, while continuing to work with other opinion multipliers in the Euro-Atlantic region and beyond . In 2018, the ATA launched three working groups to provide support in areas of strategic interest to the Association and the Alliance: the ATA Working Group on Women, Peace and Security, dedicated to empowering women and supporting balanced gender inclusion in defense and security. ; the ATA-YATA Integrated Communications Working Group, which utilizes the potential multiplier effect of the ATA and YATA network in nearly 40 countries; and the ATA Working Group on Disinformation and Malicious Influence, which primarily analyzes trends and provides training and capacity building to the ATA and YATA chapters, as well as recommendations.
