Securing Nuclear Materials - The Way Forward
IAEA Director General Encourages States to Improve Nuclear Security
IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano addresses delegates attending the Seminar on the Promotion of the Entry into Force of the 2005 Amendment to the CPPNM, hosted at the IAEA headquarters on 12 and 13 June 2014. (Photo: D. Calma/IAEA)
The entry into force of the
Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM)
is the single most important step which the international community can
take in strengthening nuclear security globally. This was the key
message highlighted by the IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano in his
statement to delegates attending the
Seminar on the Promotion of the Entry into Force of the 2005 Amendment to the CPPNM, hosted at the IAEA headquarters on 12 and 13 June 2014.
"Since 1999, the year when States began to identify the need to amend the
Convention,
the amount of nuclear material under IAEA safeguards around the world
has risen by 70 percent. I repeat - 70 percent," Director General Amano
said. "That figure will continue to grow. Responsibility for the
security of this material rests with each State."
The objective of this Seminar was to encourage States to contribute
to the reinforcement of the global nuclear security regime by adhering
to the 2005
Amendment to the CPPNM and, demonstrating a global commitment to punish those who would engage in nuclear theft, sabotage or even terrorism.
The two-day event focused on a range of topics that are central and
related to assisting States to take the steps necessary to adhere to the
Amendment. The agenda of the Seminar had four sessions that
concentrated on: Nuclear Security and the International Legal Framework
for Nuclear Security; Overview of the CPPNM and its Amendment; National
Adherence to and Implementation of the Amendment; and, IAEA assistance:
in adhering to and implementing the amendment.
During the opening session, the representatives of altogether five
countries stated that they were in the final stage of adhering to the
Amendment and they would accordingly deposit the necessary instruments
with the Depositary, shortly.
"This Seminar is another important milestone in our continuous
efforts to support States' efforts, upon request, to establish and
strengthen their national nuclear security regimes, and enable them to
promptly meet their international obligations in general and the
provision of the
Amendment to the CPPNM in particular," explained Khammar Mrabit, Director of the IAEA Division of Nuclear Security.
Encouraged by the development, Peri L. Johnson, IAEA Legal Adviser
and Director of the IAEA Office of Legal Affairs, said "This is very
positive. It shows that what was considered to be an insurmountable
number of States Parties needed to bring the Amendment into force is in
fact achievable. We are now very close. With these additional countries,
we only need 18 more States Parties. It is within our grasp."
The
Amendment will enter into force only after it has been ratified by a two-thirds majority of the States Parties to the CPPNM.
At the conclusion of his opening remarks, the Director General Amano
made clear the significance of the Amendment: "Entry into force of the
Amendment helps to set global minimum standards for the security of
nuclear material and facilities. It provides for the sharing of
information on potential attacks on nuclear facilities. It provides for
States to cooperate on improving national systems of physical
protection. I encourage all countries not just to ratify the Amendment,
but to make full use of the nuclear security services offered by the
IAEA."
Background
The
Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM)
was signed at Vienna and at New York on 3 March 1980 and entered into
force on 8 February 1987. The CPPNM is the only international legally
binding undertaking in the area of physical protection of nuclear
material used for peaceful purposes. It establishes measures related to
the prevention, detection and punishment of offences relating to nuclear
material.
A Diplomatic Conference in July 2005 was convened to amend the CPPNM and strengthen its provisions. The amended
Convention
makes it legally binding for States Parties to protect nuclear
facilities and nuclear material in peaceful domestic use and storage, as
well as transport. It also provides for expanded cooperation between
and among States regarding rapid measures to locate and recover stolen
or smuggled nuclear material, mitigate any radiological consequences of
sabotage, and prevent and combat related offences.
Currently there are 149 Parties to CPPNM and 76 Contracting States to the
Amendment to the CPPNM.
- By Aabha Dixit, IAEA Office of Public Information and Communication
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