Wassenaar Arrangement

The Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies (WA) was established in order to contribute to regional and international security and stability by promoting transparency and greater responsibility in transfers of conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies, thus preventing destabilising accumulations and preventing the acquisition of these items by terrorists. Participating States (PS) seek, through their national policies, to ensure that transfers of these items do not contribute to the development or enhancement of military capabilities which undermine these goals, and are not diverted to support such capabilities. PS apply export controls to all items set forth in the List of Dual-Use Goods and Technologies and the Munitions List, with the objective of preventing unauthorized transfers or re-transfers of those items. The Control Lists can be found here: In fulfilling the purposes of the Arrangement as described above, PS have, inter alia, agreed to a number of guidelines, elements and procedures as a basis for decision-making through the application of their own national legislation and policies. These can be found at wassenaar.org/best-practices/. Representatives of PS meet regularly in Vienna where the WA has established its headquarters and a small Secretariat. The Secretariat's role is to facilitate and support interaction between PS, and it supports the PS in the Arrangement's functioning by: • Hosting meetings of the WA bodies and supporting the respective Chairs • Facilitating information-exchange among PS including electronic communications via a dedicated network • Distributing and archiving WA documents • Managing WA programmes and resources • Maintaining the WA website • Contributing to WA outreach activities in Vienna and around the world The current Head of Secretariat is Ambassador György Molnár (Hungary).