Code of conduct on weapons and weapon trade
V1 - 18 July 2013
WISER Consultancy pursues to contribute to a peaceful and safer world. To reach this goal defensive arms and armed forces are still needed, but not weapons that do not discriminate between military and civilian targets and may cause disproportional humanitarian damage. We take our corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) seriously and use this code of conduct for all our activities.
Policy against controversial weapons
We will not involve ourselves or support any involvement in the following types of weapons:
Cluster ammunition, land mines in general and anti-personnel mines in particular, nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, chemical weapons, biological weapons and ammunition containing depleted uranium.
Controversial weapons do not discriminate between military and civilian targets and have the capability to cause disproportional humanitarian damage. With respect to cluster ammunition and anti-personnel mines, the definitions as laid down in the Convention on Cluster Munitions and the Ottawa Convention respectively are applicable.
Involvement or support as mentioned is to be understood as research, development, production, maintenance or trade of the controversial end-product, but also development or production of essential parts, subsystems or launching systems specific for the controversial weapons as mentioned.
The exclusion of involvement also extends to non-controversial or unrelated agreements with companies or other entities directly involved in research, development, production, maintenance or trade of controversial weapons.
When a company or other entity is indirectly involved in controversial weapons through another legal entity like a parent company or subsidiary a threshold of 25% ownership is applicable for the exclusion to be applicable.
With respect to nuclear weapons the exclusion of involvement applies to companies directly involved in research, development, production, maintenance or trade of nuclear weapons in nations where these types of activities are not permitted under the terms of the non-proliferation treaty.
Policy against controversial weapons trade
We will not involve ourselves or support any involvement in companies or other entities active in controversial weapons trade. This applies to companies or other entities selling, intending to sell or otherwise make available weapons, weapon systems, sensitive military equipment or relevant knowledge to nations without a valid export license or where an export license would not be granted by the Netherlands authorities.
Photo courtesy NL MoD