High-Level Workshop on Universalisation of Legal Instruments for Nuclear Security

On 23 and 24 April 2024, the VCDNP hosted a workshop in cooperation with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) to promote adherence to international legal instruments related to nuclear security. The workshop involved members of parliament and senior officials with responsibilities related to parliaments from seven countries that have not yet acceded to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CCPNM) and/or its Amendment.

The workshop was opened by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, IPU Permanent Representative to the UN and other International Organisations in Vienna Brigitte Brenner, and VCDNP Executive Director Elena K. Sokova, who stressed the importance of nuclear technologies for peaceful uses as well as the need for nuclear security to support the manyfold applications in industry, medicine, agriculture, and other areas.

The key role of parliamentarians in adherence to legal instruments for nuclear security was emphasised throughout the event. To support this message, the workshop featured high-level briefings and panel discussions focused on the importance of peaceful uses of nuclear technology and the role of nuclear security in reducing the risk of misuse of radioactive sources by malicious actors.

The programme featured the following speakers and topics:

• The threat of nuclear and radiological terrorism by Floriane Bacconier, Head of the INTERPOL Permanent Observer Office to the UN in Vienna;
• Peaceful uses of nuclear and radiation technologies and their benefits by Dr. Lisa Stevens, Director of the IAEA’s Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy;
• Paraguay’s adherence to the Amendment to the CPPNM (A/CPPNM) by H.E. Ambassador Dr. Juan Facetti, Ambassador of Paraguay to Austria and Permanent Representative to the International Organisations in Vienna;
• An interactive scenario exercise showing the importance of legal instruments for nuclear security by Dr. Frank Wong, Senior Scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory;
• Legislative and technical assistance available from the IAEA and the UN Office of Drugs and Crime by Elena Buglova, Director of the Division of Nuclear Security at the IAEA, Peri Lynne Johnson, Director of the IAEA Office of Legal Affairs, and Roberto Arbitrio, Chief of the Terrorism Prevention Branch at UNODC;
• The 2024 IAEA International Conference on Nuclear Security and next steps towards the second Conference of the Parties to the A/CPPNM by H.E. Ambassador Ian Biggs, Resident Representative and Governor to the Board of Governors of the IAEA and Co-President of ICONS 2024 and H.E. Ambassador Benno Laggner, Ambassador and Special Advisor, Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the OSCE, the United Nations and other International Organisations Vienna and Co-President of the 2022 A/CPPNM Review Conference.

The programme also included a tour of the IAEA laboratories in Seibersdorf as well as visits to the Austrian Parliament and the Preparatory Commission to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), including a briefing by CTBTO Executive Secretary Dr. Robert Floyd. Receptions hosted by Mr. Howard Solomon, Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Mission to the International Organisations in Vienna and H.E. Ambassador Susan Eckey, Ambassador of Norway to Austria, introduced participants to opportunities for international cooperation on nuclear security and allowed them to exchange national experiences.

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In an anonymous survey, all participants rated the workshop either excellent or very good. Amongst the most highly rated aspects were the information provided on peaceful uses of nuclear technology and materials, the visit to the Seibersdorf laboratories, and the expertise and backgrounds of the speakers who provided briefings during the workshop.

The following are testimonials from the workshop participants:

“It was important to bring MPs to the table to have this conversation in the same room as regulators.”

“It was a very comprehensive workshop and the initiative to include MPs was fantastic!”

“We are looking for champions in our own countries who can champion this cause with the same passion you have done so.”

The VCDNP extends its gratitude to the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration for their generous support for this workshop. The VCDNP gives thanks to the IAEA, UNODC, and CTBTO for their support and contributions, to the IPU for its collaboration on the workshop, and to H.E. Ambassador Laura Holgate and H.E. Ambassador Susan Eckey for their hospitality.