Winter 2022 Nuclear Security Professional Development Course

From 24 to 28 January 2022, the VCDNP held its second specialised short course on nuclear security for diplomats and practitioners. The course was held in a virtual format and included 24 participants from 23 countries representing governmental institutions, embassies, and permanent missions. Women constituted 50 percent of the course participants and 75 percent of participants were from developing countries.

The week-long course covered diverse topics within the nuclear security regime, including peaceful nuclear applications and key elements of nuclear security; the history of the nuclear security regime; binding and non-binding international instruments; synergies between peaceful uses and nuclear security; the role of the IAEA and other organisations; opportunities and challenges related to nuclear security; and the policies and politics of nuclear security. The course was developed and delivered in close cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its Division of Nuclear Security.

The course also explored inclusivity, diversity and gender mainstreaming within the nuclear security community, with a particular emphasis on the role of industry. The lecturers used Mentimeter polls to facilitate communication in the virtual environment. In addition, the course also included interactive sessions such as panel discussions, participants socials and facilitated group discussions. The panel discussions focused on the evolving nuclear security regime and outcomes and expectations from the upcoming Conference of the Parties to the Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (A/CPPNM).

During the course, VCDNP experts as well as leading experts from international organisations, academic institutions and think thanks shared their hands-on experience and knowledge pertaining to nuclear security and emerging issues. Among the speakers and panellists were officials from the IAEA, including the Director of the Division of Nuclear Security Dr. Elena Buglova, and the World Institute for Nuclear Security (WINS), including WINS Executive Director Lars van Dassen.

See the course agenda

After completion of the course, participants were asked to evaluate the programme and provide their feedback on the content and structure of the course through an anonymous questionnaire. The participants evaluated the course’s contribution to their knowledge as good or excellent and noted they would recommend others to take it. The following are some comments provided by the participants:

Thank you for this excellent opportunity to learn more about the nuclear security and its contribution to peaceful uses of Nuclear Energy while we are approaching the first ever Review Conference of the ACPPNM.

 This course brought to the fore a lot of information particularly on treaties and conventions to be signed and ratify for embarking countries on the nuclear programme.

 The course had a very good balance between the policy perspectives and the technical details regarding the nuclear security, which makes it broadly applicable for professionals from various fields.

 All relevant areas within the nuclear security were sufficiently covered. I particularly appreciate the modules related to the historical context and emergence of security issues as well as the modules focusing on the regulatory aspects and transport considerations.

The VCDNP thanks the Federal Commonwealth and Development Office of the United Kingdom for its generous support for this course. The VCDNP also expresses its gratitude to the IAEA and its Division of Nuclear Security for its cooperation in implementing the course.