Mongolia operationalizes its 1540 national action plan to prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to non-State actors

From 6 to 8 December 2022, the Office for Disarmament Affairs (ODA) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) supported the Government of Mongolia to deliver a national roundtable that sought to review its national plan to prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to non-State actors, as prescribed by United Nations Security Council resolution 1540 (2004). In Ulaan Baatar, participants identified ways to strengthen the country’s implementation of this landmark resolution, which aims to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to non-State actors. The event followed two earlier roundtables held in 2017 and 2020, respectively.   

Delegates from various Mongolian ministries and government agencies, alongside representatives from ODA, the 1540 Committee, the OSCE, the German Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA), the Japanese Embassy in Mongolia, the United States Export Control and Related Border Security Program (EXBS) and the World Customs Organization (WCO) joined the workshop, which was made possible by financial contributions by the Government of Japan. 

Participants received various substantive briefings, consisting of an in-depth explanation of the origin, purpose and provisions of Resolution 1540 (2004) and the current state of play with respect to Mongolia’s implementation of the resolution. Narrowing in on Mongolia’s 1540 National Action Plan (NAP), participants and experts examined ways to improve export control legislation, discussing various relevant tools and mechanisms, including the European Union’s control list of dual use items. They also analysed Mongolia’s nuclear security measures and its implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) and Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).

Mongolia has acceded to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and adopted a general Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) law, which fulfills some of its UNSCR 1540 (2004) obligations. Participants noted that Mongolia should adopt a comprehensive strategic trade control law, develop a dual-use control list on items of proliferation concern, as well as a law to strengthen biosecurity, in order to close any remaining gaps. Finally, they deliberated on the possibilities for raising greater stakeholder awareness on strategic trade control issues.