Nuclear Security Contact Group

On 3-5 March 2020, the Terrorism Prevention Branch of UNODC, in cooperation with the IAEA, organized a country visit to Uganda to facilitate adherence to and implementation of the 2005 International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT) and the 2005 Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (A/CPPNM).

On 25-27 February 2020, UNODC and the Government of Barbados co-hosted a regional workshop for selected CARICOM countries on the universalization and effective implementation of the 2005 International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT), the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM) and its 2005 Amendment (ACPPNM).

UNODC’s Terrorism Prevention Branch and the Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific (ROSEAP) delivered a national workshop on the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT) in Manila on 20 February 2020.

On 11 February 2020, the Terrorism Prevention Branch (TPB) of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime hosted a side event at the IAEA’s International Conference on Nuclear Security 2020 on UNODC's contribution to the prevention of nuclear terrorism.

A mock scenario that included adversaries taking control of a nuclear research institute’s physical protection system and implanting malware at a nuclear power plant, to compromise security and cause sabotage, provided for intense learning this month, during an IAEA International Training Course (ITC) on Protecting Computer Based Systems in Nuclear Security Regimes.

Sufficient human and technical resources and greater cooperation between technical specialists and law enforcement officers are key to nuclear security at major public events, representatives of 33 countries concluded at a recent IAEA seminar

Research reactors benefit society in many ways. However, they can only fulfil their mission if their nuclear material is well protected and does not fall into the hands of terrorists. One of the ways in which countries protect their nuclear material today is by working with the IAEA to build nuclear security systems and measures into their research reactor designs.

Identifying computer-based systems that must be secured against a cyber-attack can be challenging for many nuclear operators, participants agreed at a recent IAEA Technical Meeting on Computer Security Approaches and Applications in Nuclear Security.

The IAEA and Russia have launched a project to strengthen management of disused Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs), which used to be a source of electricity in remote areas.

The IAEA and Russia’s Rosatom Technical Academy (Rosatom Tech) have agreed to work together to help Member States strengthen knowledge management and human resources development for nuclear energy and nuclear security.

Since 2009, Mali's authorities have been collecting disused sealed radioactive sources from around the country for safe storage in the capital, Bamako, with the support of the IAEA. Now, their attention is turning towards improving the security of the storage, to keep the sources, which are still radioactive, away from the hands of criminals.

Next year’s International Conference on Nuclear Security (ICONS) will be key to ongoing efforts to strengthen nuclear security globally, said participants in a panel discussion held on the sidelines of the recent IAEA General Conference

Under a new cooperation agreement, the IAEA and Chinese institutions will work together to improve the functioning of radiation detection equipment and physical protection systems, including by testing them in a facility that simulates harsh environmental conditions.

At a recent workshop in Vienna, representatives of national Nuclear Security Support Centres (NSSCs) and the IAEA engaged in scenario-based exercises and analyzed data gathered on NSSC training courses and other activities to better understand how such centres can help to sustain the security of radioactive material and facilities.

Legal and nuclear professionals from Asia and the Pacific sharpened their ability to draft and revise regulation for both radiation safety and nuclear security during a recent IAEA School that combined the two topics for the first time.

Education is key to increasing the representation of women in nuclear security, concluded panelists at a discussion during the Annual Meeting of the International Nuclear Security Education Network (INSEN) taking place in Vienna this week.

Seven of the 19 international legal instruments against terrorism deal with the prevention and suppression of chemical

How the IAEA can best assist national authorities worldwide in their efforts to manage radioactive sources after their useful life and to search, find and secure “orphan” sources was high on the agenda of the Working Group on Radioactive Source Security this month.

Connecting scientists, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, nuclear regulators and policy makers strengthens the capabilities to trace stolen or lost radioactive material and support legal proceedings, participants concluded at an IAEA Technical Meeting on Nuclear Forensics: Beyond the Science this month.

Fifty-two nuclear operators, regulators, customs and border officers, academics and researchers from 47 countries strengthened their skills in detecting and tracing smuggled radioactive material at a recent International School on Nuclear Security

The Nuclear Safety Review 2019 presents priorities for 2019 and beyond. It indicates how we plan to further strengthen our work in nuclear, radiation, transport and waste safety, and emergency preparedness and response.

With Pope Francis and the presidents of Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Portugal in attendance, the World Youth Day for Catholic youth, held at the end of January in Panama City

Professionals from 10 African countries reviewed the status of their countries’ regulatory frameworks for the security of radioactive material and developed action plans to address any identified gaps during the IAEA’s first School on Drafting Nuclear Security Regulations for African Countries.

The IAEA and Bulgaria’s University of National and World Economy (UNWE) have renewed a cooperation agreement in the field of nuclear security education and human resource development.

All evidence tells a story, and when the evidence is nuclear or radioactive material found at a crime scene, nuclear forensics science is a key to understanding the story.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has introduced a new international training course (ITC) on protecting nuclear facilities from cyber-attacks, highlighting the Agency’s role in supporting national efforts to strengthen nuclear security.

An IAEA regional workshop, organized in Malaysia in cooperation with the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism, used a table top exercise to help participants strengthen their capacity to detect and respond to nuclear security events in coastal and maritime areas.

Representatives of Governments and international organizations as well as experts gathered in Vienna to mark the 10th anniversary of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT).

An international conference was conducted in order to provide a forum for Member States to share their experiences, difficulties, lessons learned and good practices adopted during the implementation of IAEA document INFCIRC/225/Rev.5. Valuable input was also taken from Member States that are Contracting Parties to the CPPMN and its Amendment regarding the technical aspects of meeting their obligations deriving from these instruments.

This meeting assessed ways that emerging threats to, and opportunities for, nuclear security can be identified; how effectively the nuclear security architecture is able to respond to such threats and opportunities; and how it could be reconfigured to maximise that effectiveness.

The Plenary Meeting provided a forum for partner nations to deliver national statements and provide recommendations that will inform the direction and activities of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT) for the next two years leading up to the next Plenary Meeting, which will be hosted by Argentina in 2019.

This conference was conducted to discuss the national and international community’s experiences and achievements to date in strengthening nuclear security; to enhance understanding of current approaches to nuclear security worldwide; to identify trends; and to provide an inclusive forum at which ministers, policymakers, senior officials and nuclear security experts can formulate and exchange views on future directions and priorities for nuclear security and how these may evolve.

The Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) process was launched to address the urgent and immediate threat to global security posed by nuclear terrorism. Canada strongly supports the NSS process, which is a critical tool for encouraging the international community to address shared challenges through effective nuclear security cooperation.

A joint statement issued on the final day of the two-day summit, held in Washington DC, said that while the Nuclear Security Summit process has led to "significant achievements" in nuclear security at national, regional and global levels, the work of building a "strengthened, sustained and comprehensive global nuclear security architecture" of legal instruments, international organizations and initiatives, internationally accepted guidance and best practices "requires continuous attention".