The International Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation, also known as the Hague Code of Conduct (HCOC), was established on 25 November 2002 as an arrangement to prevent the proliferation of

ballistic missile A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are guided only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles stay within the ...

s. The HCOC is the result of international efforts to regulate access to ballistic missiles which can potentially deliver

weapons of mass destruction A weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or any other weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to numerous individuals or cause great damage to artificial structures (e.g., buildings), natura ...

. The HCOC is the only multilateral code in the area of disarmament which has been adopted over the last years. It is the only normative instrument to verify the spread of ballistic missiles. The HCOC does not ban ballistic missiles, but it does call for restraint in their production, testing, and export. As agreed by the conference in The Hague,

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

serves as the Immediate Central Contact (Executive Secretariat) and therefore coordinates the information exchange of the HCOC. To create a link between the UN and the HCOC, which was not negotiated in the context of the UN, a Resolution regarding the HCOC was tabled in the course of the 59th as well as the 60th and 63rd sessions of the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presb ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Since the HCOC's entry into force, sixteen Conferences of Subscribing States of the HCOC have been held. The 16th Regular Meeting of Subscribing States of the HCOC took place from 6–7 June 2017 under the chairmanship of Ambassador Marek Szczygieł from

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

. India joined the HCOC on 1 June 2016. While the

Missile Technology Control Regime The Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) is a multilateral export control regime. It is an informal political understanding among 35 member states that seek to limit the proliferation of missiles and missile technology. The regime was formed ...

(MTCR) has a similar mission, it is an export group with only 35 members.

Membership

Since the signing and entering into force of the HCOC Code in November 2002 in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

, (

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

) the number of signatories has increased from 96 to 138 ( 136 UN members, the

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , lan ...

and the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

). India, which joined on 1 June 2016, is the latest signatory of the HCOC. The 57 non-signatory UN states are: * Algeria * Angola * Bahamas * Bahrain * Bangladesh * Barbados * Belize * Bhutan * Bolivia * Botswana * Brazil * China * Cuba * Djibouti * Egypt * Equatorial Guinea * Grenada * Indonesia * Iran * Israel * Ivory Coast * Jamaica * Kuwait * Kyrgyzstan * Laos * Lebanon * Lesotho * Malaysia * Mauritius * Mexico * Myanmar * Namibia * Nauru * Nepal * Niue * North Korea * Oman * Pakistan * Qatar * Saint Lucia * Saint Vincent and the Grenadines * São Tomé and Príncipe * Saudi Arabia * Solomon Islands * Somalia * South Sudan * Sri Lanka * Syria * Swaziland * Thailand * Togo * Trinidad and Tobago * United Arab Emirates * Vietnam * Yemen * Zimbabwe No

states with limited recognition A number of polities have declared independence and sought diplomatic recognition from the international community as sovereign states, but have not been universally recognised as such. These entities often have ''de facto'' control of thei ...

have signed this code.

References

External links

Treaty text

Arms control {{politics-stub