Session targets bolstering nuclear security engagement

Experts from 21 countries, industry, and non-government organizations gathered virtually last month for the 12th meeting of the Global Dialogue on Nuclear Security Priorities – focusing on enhancing nuclear security engagement.

The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) indicated the session addressed, among other topics, key findings from the 2020 Nuclear Security Index; opportunities for sustaining political attention on nuclear security, and ways to take advantage of them, including the upcoming 2021 conference to review the amended Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials (CPPNM); strengthening engagement on nuclear security, particularly among countries without nuclear materials or nuclear facilities, by finding ways to talk about nuclear security that reflect different regional and national perspectives and priorities; and strengthening nuclear security peer reviews to build confidence in nuclear security, including through IAEA International Physical Protection Advisory Service (IPPAS) missions.

Participants included government officials; representatives from industry, academia, and non-government organizations (NGOs), authorities indicated, noting participation from others who work together to shape practical solutions to global architecture gaps.

Attendees discussed steps needed to secure nuclear materials from terrorists while expediting progress toward a comprehensive and effective global nuclear security system.

The Global Dialogue project was initially convened by the NTI in 2012 as a Track 1.5 process supporting the Nuclear Security Summits. It is led by NTI Vice President Laura Holgate and NTI Senior Director Samantha Neakrase.