VCDNP Task Force Side Event on Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Science and Technology

The Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP) established a Task Force in late 2020 to examine and provide recommendations for approaches that could lead to increased access to nuclear science and technologies for peaceful uses and contribute to achieving sustainable development goals, while maintaining non-proliferation and nuclear security objectives. The Task Force examined these issues in the context of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) review process and within the context of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mandate.

The VCDNP Task Force assembled a diverse group of high-level technical and policy experts that met periodically and invited to their meetings senior officials, technical and policy experts from the IAEA, Member States, as well as industry and academia.

On 22 September the VCDNP, in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to the IAEA, hosted a side event at the IAEA 65^th General Conference where Task Force members reported on the preliminary findings with recommendation to the IAEA, its Member States, industry and the States Parties of the NPT.

The panel was moderated by Ms. Elena K. Sokova, the Executive Director of the VCDNP, and included:

• H.E. Ambassador Alfredo Labbe (Chair of the Task Force)
• H.E. Ambassador Hamad Alkaabi (UAE)
• H.E. Ambassador Morakot Sriswasdi (Thailand)
• H.E. Ambassador Kjersti Andersen (Norway)
• H.E. Ambassador Benno Laggner (Switzerland)
• Ingrid Kirsten (VCDNP)

The Task Force made a number of high-level recommendations for approaches by the IAEA, its Member States and the industry that could lead to increased access to peaceful uses and contribute to the sustainable development goals while maintaining non-proliferation and nuclear security objectives.  The recommendations are grouped according to the following themes:

• Awareness Raising. Lack of awareness and understanding of the benefits of peaceful uses and its contribution to achieving sustainable development and reaching climate goals is a key challenge to ensuring that the full potential of peaceful uses is realised. These recommendations highlight the efforts that the IAEA, its Member States and industry could make to improve communication about the benefits of peaceful uses both vertically (between experts and policy makers) and horizontally (between institutions, between policymakers and with the public and civil society).
• Expanded and Improved Partnerships. These recommendations focus on bringing new partners to the table to improve the human and financial resources required to realise the full potential of peaceful uses.
• Sustainable Use of and Access to Technologies. Access to technologies and equipment, as well as investment into a skilled workforce to apply them, should be expanded. These investments and efforts should be sustainable in the long run.
• Safety, Security and Safeguards. The three Ss (safety, security and safeguards) convey essential requirements for the application of nuclear power and non-power technologies. States should endeavour to achieve the highest levels of nuclear safety and security, as well as the effective implementation of safeguards in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. It is however important to ensure that these requirements, when implemented, facilitate and support access to peaceful uses for developing and least-developed countries.

A separate set of recommendations for NPT States Parties to consider during the upcoming Review Conference include, among other recommendations, a proposal for a high-level event organised jointly by the UN Secretary-General and the IAEA Director General on peaceful uses to raise the profile of peaceful uses among UN agencies, development organisations, Member States, and the public.