THE WASSENAAR ARRANGEMENT

On Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies

About Us

The Wassenaar Arrangement has been 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. The aim is also to prevent the acquisition of these items by terrorists.

Participating States 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.

Key Information

WA Participating States

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Control Lists

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Best Practices & Guidelines

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Recent Activities

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What is the WA?

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WA Timeline

Click through the timeline below to discover major milestones in WA’s history.

December 1995

WA established

Agreement to establish the “Wassenaar Arrangement” was reached at a meeting in Wassenaar, the Netherlands.

April 1996

Inaugural Plenary Meeting

The first session of the inaugural Plenary Meeting of the Wassenaar Arrangement was held in Vienna, Austria.

July 1996

Consensus on
the “Initial Elements“

Final consensus on the “Initial Elements”, the basic document of the WA, was reached and it was established that the new Control Lists and Information Exchange would be implemented from 1 November 1996.

September 1996

General Working Group

First meeting of the General Working Group held at the Permanent Mission of Japan in Vienna.

November 1996

IO status

Decree issued by Austrian Government grants WA status as an IO

December 1996

First WA Plenary Meeting

The first Plenary Meeting of the now operational Wassenaar Arrangement was held in Vienna

1997

EG

First meetings of the Experts Group

1998

LEOM

First Licensing and Enforcement Officers Meeting

2000

New Exports Guidelines

Plenary adopts Elements for Export Controls of MANPADS and Best Practice Guidelines for Exports of SALW

2002

Revision of Initial Elements

WA Initial Elements revised to address acquisition of conventional arms and dual use goods and technologies by terrorists

2004

First Outreach

First post-Plenary outreach briefing for non-Participating States

2005

New Participating States

First expansion of membership as Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, and Slovenia become Participating States

2006

South Africa joins

South Africa becomes a Participating State

2006

Transfer of Technology Controls

Best Practices for Implementing Intangible Transfer of Technology Controls

2011

Conventional Weapons Systems Controls

Best Practice Guidelines on Re-Export Controls for Conventional Weapons Systems

2011

First Technical Briefing

First Technical Briefing for non-Participating States

2012

Mexico joins

Mexico becomes a Participating State

2014

First Enhanced Technical Briefing 

First Enhanced Technical Briefing for non-Participating States

2017

India joins

India becomes a Participating State

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