Australia Group assistance to develop, review and maintain national export controls

Details:
Export licensing and other measures instituted by individual Australia Group (AG) members assist in implementing key obligations under the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), as well as the Chemical Weapons Convention and UNSCR 1540. Adherence to AG control lists and guidelines helps prevent proliferators from exploiting differences in national export control systems on dual-use biological agents, chemicals, and biological and chemical manufacturing equipment, technology and software. The AG recognises that many States continue to require assistance in implementing their obligations under the BWC, and the important role of the BWC Implementation Support Unit in helping to facilitate such assistance. Consistent with the Final Document of the Seventh Review Conference (BWC/CONF.VII/7) which states that “States Parties are invited, individually or together with other states or international organizations, to submit on a voluntary basis to the Implementation Support Unit any requirements, needs or offers for assistance”, the AG desires to register its offer of assistance in this database.
AG members would consider requests from States seeking assistance to develop, review and maintain national export, transit and transhipment controls to help prevent the proliferation of biological (and chemical) weapons. Such assistance would be provided on a voluntary, bilateral basis, by an individual AG member or a group of AG members.