Virtual seminar dedicated to CARICOM countries - HCoC

Supporting the Hague Code of Conduct

an FRS project funded by the European Union

Virtual seminar dedicated to CARICOM countries

8 June 2021

Virtual

A new virtual event was held on 8 June 2021. The FRS and delegations from 8 Caribbean nations discussed over ballistic missile proliferation and the role of the Hague Code of Conduct.

AGENDA

PRESENTATION & WELCOMING REMARKS

Alexandre HOUDAYER, Secretary General, FRS
Amb. Marjolijn VAN DEELEN, Special Envoy for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, European External Action Service (EEAS), European Union
Anselme YABOURI, Director, United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC)
Amb. Joska KABONGO NGOY, Secretary General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, DRC

I/ The HCoC: A MULTILATERAL INSTRUMENT TO CURB THE PROLIFERATION OF MISSILES

MODERATOR:

Emmanuelle MAITRE, Research Fellow, FRS

PRESENTERS:

Benno LAGGNER, Resident Representative to the IAEA, Permanent Representative to the CTBTO PrepCom, Permanent Mission of Switzerland, Vienna, Austria, HCoC Chair 2020-2021
George-Wilhelm GALLHOFER, Minister, Representative of the HCoC Immediate Central Contact (ICC), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Austria
Alexandre HOUDAYER, Secretary General, FRS

KEY ISSUES:

Contribution of the Code to international security
Being a Subscribing State: commitments and benefits
Day-to-day implementation of the Code
What opportunities for Caribbean countries in joining the Code? What constraints?

II/ KEYNOTE SPEECH

Jorge LÓPEZ, Project Advisor, UNLIREC

III/ The HCoC: CURBING BALLISTIC MISSILE PROLIFERATION IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBAL NON-PROLIFERATION & DISARMAMENT EFFORTS

MODERATOR:

Jorge LÓPEZ, Project Advisor, UNLIREC

PRESENTERS:

Emmanuelle MAITRE, Research Fellow, FRS
Paul WOHRER, Research Fellow, FRS

KEY ISSUES:

How to limit the risks associated with ballistic missile proliferation?
Links and bridges between the HCoC and other non-proliferation and disarmament tools
Contribution of regional organizations in implementing WMD disarmament and nonproliferation instruments

CONCLUSION

January
2018

Research Papers

Limiting the proliferation of WMD means of delivery: a low-profile approach to bypass diplomatic deadlocks

Since the creation of the HCoC in 2002, the need for more collective commitment and action to fight the proliferation of ballistic missiles has certainly not decreased. The destabilizing nature of these weapons has not changed. Non-proliferation is just less about keeping the world stable and more about not adding a risk factor to an uncertain future. The HCoC was and remains a response to that need, but certainly not the end of the quest for improvement.

March
2022

Research Papers

The Hague Code of Conduct and Space

This paper considers the dual approach of the Code by analysing the similarities between launchers and ballistic missiles in light of new technical developments, and assessing the risk of missile technology proliferation. It also assesses the new trends and developments in the space sector that may have an impact on the ability of the HCoC to remain relevant in its efforts to curb the proliferation of ballistic launchers.

December
2021

Research Papers

Harnessing Transparency Potential for Missile Non-Proliferation

Information is key for non-proliferation efforts. But the times when information was the exclusive purview of governments are over. Affordable, commercial and open-source monitoring capabilities empower states and societies alike, while challenging the ability of governments to preserve secrecy. Technological democratisation means that information is practically becoming a public good. And it allows for unprecedented transparency.