The risk of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, i.e., nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, is well recognized as a threat to international peace and security, including by the UN Security Council in its Summit Meeting Declaration of January 31, 1992. National export licensing measures on these technologies make the task of countries seeking to achieve capability to acquire and produce unmanned WMD means of delivery much more difficult. As a result, many countries, including all MTCR Partners, have chosen voluntarily to introduce export licensing measures on ballistic missiles and other unmanned air vehicle delivery systems or related equipment, material, and technology. The Missile Technology Control Regime is an informal and voluntary association of countries which share the goals of nonproliferation of unmanned delivery systems for weapons of mass destruction, and which seeks to coordinate national export licensing efforts aimed at preventing their proliferation. Copies of these are available to interested non-Partners.
Partners have equal standing in the regime.
All MTCR decisions are taken by consensus. The MTCR does not take export licensing decisions as a group. Rather, individual partners are responsible for implementing the guidelines and annex on the basis of sovereign national discretion and in accordance with national legislation and practice. Partners regularly exchange information about relevant national export licensing issues in the context of the Regime's overall aims. The MTCR is the only multilateral arrangement dealing with ballistic and cruise missile and other WMD delivery vehicle systems or related equipment, material and technology.