Commerce Ministry Ready to Evaluate the Dual-Use Items (DUI) Export Control System to Prevent the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) - Building Confidence on the World Stage

     Dual-Use Items (DUI) are ordinary commercial goods that can be used to design, develop, produce, utilize, or modify into high-powered destructive weapons, which could potentially cause severe damage to living organisms, structures, and the environment on a wide scale, such as nuclear, radiological, chemical, and biological weapons, commonly known as Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD).

     Therefore, to regulate DUI, the Ministry of Commerce has issued an announcement on measures to control items related to the proliferation of high-powered destructive weapons, and measures relating to goods suspected of being ultimately used, or end users associated with the proliferation of high-powered destructive weapons, Act 2021 (End Use End User Control measures: EUEUC). These are principal measures to monitor products related to the proliferation of high-powered destructive weapons (WMD), particularly DUI.

     Additionally, it has established voluntary measures to aid organizations and companies to efficiently control their own product exports according to global standards. The Department of Foreign Trade has announced the certification criteria for the system controlling items related to the proliferation of high-powered destructive weapons, Act 2021 (ICP Internal Compliance Program certification criteria), in combination with EUEUC measures.

The ICP system is a management framework to oversee export activities, returns, transshipments, transit, and the transfer of technology and software, preventing their association with WMD proliferation within the organization. It comprises six criteria:

1. Responsibility and delegation of duties management criteria
2. End-use and end-user verification criteria 
3. Training arrangement criteria 
4. Document and data retention criteria 
5. Audit and improvement criteria, and …
6. Reporting criteria

Organizations/companies can submit documents and information as per their readiness for assessment at three levels:

1. Basic ICP (B): Passing at least 2 out of 6 criteria 
2. Intermediate ICP (I): Passing at least 4 out of 6 criteria, and…
3. Total ICP (T): Passing all 6 criteria

     In 2022, 26 organizations passed the assessment, including 2 at the Basic level, 2 at the Intermediate level, and 22 at the Total level. Consequently, many organizations/companies that had previously passed the assessment and new ones exporting products listed in Schedules 1 and 2 of the EUEUC announcement are eager to seek assessment to ensure quick compliance with the EUEUC announcement without impacting exports.

     Organizations, agencies, or companies interested in the ICP system certification assessment can apply via the Department of Foreign Trade website https://www.dft.go.th or contact the Dual-Use Goods Management Group, Trade Agreement and Measures Management Office at +66 2528 7500 ext. 4710, 4713 or the hotline 1385 for further details.

Source: Department of Trade Negotiations, Ministry of Commerce
Tel. +66 2507 7572

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