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 You are in: Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security > Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation (ISN) > Releases > Fact Sheets > 2004
Fact Sheet
Bureau of Nonproliferation
Washington, DC
January 6, 2004

International Code of Conduct Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation

[There is an updated version of this fact sheet dated February 4, 2008 located at http://www.state.gov/t/isn/rls/fs/100079.htm]

[Also: fact sheet on Missile Technology Control Regime and remarks at the ICOC's Opening Conference]

The International Code of Conduct Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (ICOC) was formally brought into effect on November 25, 2002, at a Launching Conference hosted by the Netherlands at The Hague. The U.S. actively participated in the conference and is one of 93 original Subscribing States to the ICOC, also dubbed "The Hague Code of Conduct (HCOC)." As of January 1, 2004, 111 countries have subscribed to the ICOC.

The ICOC is aimed at bolstering efforts to curb ballistic missile proliferation worldwide and to further delegitimize such proliferation. The ICOC consists of a set of general principles, modest commitments, and limited confidence-building measures. It is intended to supplement, not supplant, the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), and is administered collectively by all of the Subscribing States. There is not a formal Secretariat or implementing organization, and thus we do not foresee any financial burden for most Subscribing States.

The ICOC Launching Conference was extremely successful and was followed by the first meeting of Subscribing States on November 26, 2002. At that meeting, the Netherlands was confirmed as the ICOC Chair until October 2003, and Austria was elected to serve as the Immediate Central Contact (ICC) for the Code, the informal Secretariat. The Subscribing States also agreed by acclamation to henceforth refer to the ICOC as "The Hague Code of Conduct."

On June 23, 2003, the Subscribing States held an ad-hoc technical intersessional meeting in Vienna that elaborated issues relating to the Code's implementation, including pre-launch notifications and Subscribing States' annual declarations on their space and ballistic missile policies.

The ICOC held its Second Annual Meeting from October 1-3, 2003, in New York under the new Chairmanship of Chile. The Subscribing States discussed implementation issues, annual declarations on space and ballistic missile policies, and urged members to continue working on universalization of the Code. 

ICOC List of Subscribing States (as of November 9, 2003)

1. Afghanistan 25 November 2002
2. Albania 25 November 2002
3. Argentina 25 November 2002
4. Australia 25 November 2002
5. Austria 25 November 2002
6. Azerbaijan 25 November 2002
7. Belarus 25 November 2002
8. Belgium 25 November 2002
9. Benin 25 November 2002
10. Bosnia and Herzegovina 25 November 2002
11. Bulgaria 25 November 2002
12. Burkina Faso 25 November 2002
13. Burundi 12 June 2003
14. Cameroon 25 November 2002
15. Canada 25 November 2002
16. Chad 25 November 2002
17. Chile 25 November 2002
18. Colombia 25 November 2002
19. Comores 25 November 2002
20. Cook Islands 25 November 2002
21. Costa Rica 25 November 2002
22. Croatia 25 November 2002
23. Cyprus 25 November 2002
24. Czech Republic 25 November 2002
25. Denmark 25 November 2002
26. El Salvador 25 November 2002
27. Eritrea 03 September 2003
28. Estonia 25 November 2002
29. Fiji 22 April 2003
30. Finland 25 November 2002
31. France 25 November 2002
32. Gabon 25 November 2002
33. Georgia 25 November 2002
34. Germany 25 November 2002
35. Ghana 25 November 2002
36. Greece 25 November 2002
37. Guinea 25 November 2002
38. Guinea-Bissau 26 November 2002
39. Guyana Last week of September
40. Holy See 25 November 2002
41. Hungary 25 November 2002
42. Iceland 25 November 2002
43. Ireland 25 November 2002
44. Italy 25 November 2002
45. Japan 25 November 2002
46. Jordan 25 November 2002
47. Kenya 25 November 2002
48. Kiribati 25 November 2002
49. Latvia 25 November 2002
50. Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 25 November 2002
51. Liechtenstein 26 August 2003
52. Lithuania 25 November 2002
53. Luxembourg 25 November 2002
54. Madagascar 25 November 2002
55. Malawi 09 November 2003
56. Malta 25 November 2002
57. Marshall Islands 25 November 2002
58. Mauritania 25 November 2002
59. Micronesia
(Federated States of)
25 November 2002
60. Monaco 25 November 2002
61. Morocco 25 November 2002
62. Mozambique 14 March 2003
63. Netherlands 25 November 2002
64. New Zealand 25 November 2002
65. Nicaragua 25 November 2002
66. Niger 26 November 2002
67. Nigeria 25 November 2002
68. Norway 25 November 2002
69. Palau 25 November 2002
70. Panama 04 April 2003
71. Papua New Guinea 25 November 2002
72. Paraguay 25 November 2002
73. Peru 25 November 2002
74. Philippines 25 November 2002
75. Poland 25 November 2002
76. Portugal 25 November 2002
77. Republic of Korea 25 November 2002
78. Republic of Moldova 25 November 2002
79. Romania 25 November 2002
80. Russian Federation 25 November 2002
81. Rwanda 25 November 2002
82. Senegal 25 November 2002
83. Seychelles 25 November 2002
84. Sierra Leone 25 November 2002
85. Slovakia 25 November 2002
86. Slovenia 25 November 2002
87. South Africa 25 November 2002
88. Spain 25 November 2002
89. Sudan 25 November 2002
90. Suriname 25 November 2002
91. Sweden 25 November 2002
92. Switzerland 25 November 2002
93. Tanzania 25 November 2002
94. Tajikistan 25 November 2002
95. The Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia
25 November 2002
96. Timor-Leste 25 November 2002
97. Tonga 03 September 2003
98. Tunisia 25 November 2002
99. Turkey 25 November 2002
100. Turkmenistan 10 June 2003
101. Tuvalu 25 November 2002
102. Uganda 25 November 2002
103. Ukraine 25 November 2002
104. United Kingdom 25 November 2002
105. United States 25 November 2002
106. Uruguay 25 November 2002
107. Uzbekistan 25 November 2002
108. Vanuatu 04 December 2002
109. Venezuela 25 November 2002
110. Yugoslavia 25 November 2002
111. Zambia 25 November 2002




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