The Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation, launched in November 2002, established itself as the first political and truly multilateral initiative on non-proliferation in the field of missiles. He succeeded in laying down principles of universal scope in a field which was totally lacking in them and in establishing confidence-building measures which could serve as a model for countries not yet signatories.

On 15 January 2019, the Institute of National Security Studies Sri Lanka (INSSSL) and the FRS held a South Asia Regional Seminar “Dealing with the missile threat in South Asia” with the support of the European Union. This explainer on ballistic missile proliferation explains a few key aspects of the Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCOC) in relation to small states with special reference to Sri Lanka.