A fundamental part of the international nuclear non-proliferation infrastructure is the requirement for Government to Government Assurances (GTGAs) to be given before the export of certain types of sensitive nuclear material, equipment and technology is authorised.
The principle behind this requirement is that notifications of particularly sensitive exports for nuclear end-use are conveyed directly between Governments so that the legitimacy of the proposed export and End-Use can be verified. All items included on the NSG Trigger List are to be subject to an Assurance.
More information regarding the requirements of this process can be found in the Guidelines for nuclear Transfers(INFCIRC/254, Part 1), and also on the page on the NSG website which introduces the Guidelines.
There are several parts to the GTGA process – in addition to the exchange of documents between Governments, there is also the verification step mentioned above. The recipient company/entity has a vital role to play in the effective and prompt processing of GTGA requests.
If any Governments involved in the GTGA process who are not Participating Governments within the NSG would like to discuss GTGA requests or provide points of contacts and relevant details to improve the processing of GTGAs, please get in touch with the NSG.