IPU/VCDNP Report Launch Webinar

On 2 September 2024, the VCDNP and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) held a webinar to launch a  report entitled “Engaging Parliamentarians on Nuclear Security.” This report covers lessons learned, main conclusions and recommendations for next steps following from a workshop convened jointly by the two organisations on  23 and 24 April 2024.

VCDNP Executive Director Elena Sokova and Representative of the IPU to the UN and other International Organizations in Vienna H.E. Ambassador Brigitte Brenner provided introductory remarks. The speakers highlighted the success of the April workshop, which brought together 15 parliamentarians and other senior officials from seven countries who have not yet adhered to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and/or its Amendment. 

The workshop was organised by the VCDNP and IPU in recognition of the important role parliamentarians play in adhering to legal instruments for nuclear security.  In many countries, a key challenge for adherence to these instruments is a lack of political prioritization and awareness of the relevance of nuclear security to their countries and the interests of their constituents. For that reason, the workshop sought to raise awareness among parliamentarians on nuclear issues, and empower participants to become champions for nuclear security within their own countries and parliaments. Both Ms. Sokova and Ambassador Brenner highlighted that the workshop was a pilot effort to engage parliamentarians on nuclear issues and stressed the need to continue engagement with parliamentarians in future activities.

The lessons learned, conclusions and recommendations highlighted in the workshop report were shared by VCDNP Senior Fellow Dr. Sarah Case Lackner. She provided an overview of the six key conclusions and recommendations offered under the report:

1. Outreach to parliamentarians on nuclear security is essential and continued engagement in future activities is necessary;
2. Parliamentarians' priorities need to be taken into account, recognizing that a good starting point for that conversation is to highlight the benefits of peaceful uses of nuclear science and technologies, for example to help with climate change mitigation and food security;
3. The importance of connecting national experts with parliamentarians;
4. Outreach to parliamentarians needs to be continuous and coordinated and come from multiple organisations;
5. Using game-based approaches to communicate with parliamentarians is an effective means to help engage them by demonstrating the real threat and ways in which legal instruments for nuclear security can help minimise risk; and
6. Reaching more parliamentarians via language diversity can help increase the impact by extending to a broader audience.

Responses to audience questions highlighted the importance of putting nuclear security in the context of the benefits brought by peaceful applications of nuclear science and technologies when communicating with parliamentarians. The responses also highlighted that, as with any potentially hazardous technology, safety and security measures are essential to minimise risks while reaping these benefits. The session concluded with a focus on next steps, recognising complementary multistakeholder efforts are needed to continue to engage parliamentarians on this topic.

The VCDNP extends its gratitude to the US National Nuclear Security Administration for supporting the webinar, report and preceding April 2024 workshop.