Nuclear Suppliers Group Membership

Admission to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is governed by consensus among its existing participating governments. Thus, an applicant cannot join through a majority vote; a sustained objection by any participant can prevent admission. The NSG officially uses the term “Participating Government” rather than treaty-based membership.

Core admission rule

The decision to admit a new Participating Government is taken by consensus of the existing participants. Fulfilment of the stated participation factors does not create an automatic right to admission, because the final decision remains collective and consensus-based.

• Consensus generally requires the absence of a formal objection from any existing participant.
• The NSG is a voluntary export-control arrangement rather than a treaty-based international organization.
• Its decisions and Guidelines are implemented by participating governments through their national export-control systems.

Factors considered for participation

While deciding upon participation, the NSG takes several published factors into account.

• The applicant should have the capacity to supply items covered by the NSG control lists.
• It should adhere to the NSG Guidelines and act in accordance with them.
• It should maintain a legally based domestic export-control system capable of enforcing its commitments.
• Its adherence to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, a relevant nuclear-weapon-free-zone treaty or an equivalent international nuclear non-proliferation agreement is considered, together with compliance with the associated obligations.
• It should support international efforts against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery vehicles.

NPT status and consensus

Adherence to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is an important consideration, but the published participation factors do not describe NPT membership as the sole, automatic admission test. Regardless of how an applicant satisfies the relevant factors, admission still requires consensus among all existing participants.

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