Dozens of representatives from 30 countries across Latin America and Africa and a host of international organizations participated in virtual regional workshops hosted by NTI to discuss national preparations for next year’s first-ever review of the amended Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM/A) and additional topics of importance in those regions.
The first two workshops were designed to allow participants to share national experiences, best practices, and challenges to implementing the CPPNM/A that might inform countries’ national reviews of the implementation and adequacy of the convention prior to next year’s review conference; to discuss ways to effectively overcome implementation challenges; and to strengthen networks of experts within governments and international organizations who are working to implement the convention.
The Latin America workshop was held on March 2, 4, and 8 and was co-hosted by Fundación Argentina Global and NPSGlobal. More than 30 representatives from eight countries attended, along with experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), INTERPOL, and other non-government organizations. The Africa workshop was held on April 12, 14, and 16 and was co-hosted by the Africa Centre for Science and International Security (AFRICSIS). More than 40 representatives from 22 countries across Africa attended, as well as representatives from 10 international organizations that provide technical and financial assistance in the region. Both workshops were made possible with funding from Global Affairs Canada.
The third workshop was convened on June 21 and 23 and also co-hosted by Fundación Argentina Global. It focused on practices and challenges in Latin America with respect to criminalizing and prosecuting crimes under the CPPNM/A. It was attended by representatives from six countries in Latin America as well as experts from the IAEA, UNODC, INTERPOL, and the U.S. government.
At a June 17 meeting of the Global Dialogue, NTI briefed participants on the outcomes of the workshops, all of which were led by NTI senior directors Samantha Neakrase and Scott Roecker. Participants uniformly agreed that the workshops provide a unique and vital contribution to global nuclear security by highlighting national and regional perspectives on nuclear security, expanding nuclear security dialogue to a more diverse group of stakeholders around the world, and facilitating networking and relationship building at the regional level and between government nuclear security officials and international assistance organizations.
NTI plans to convene follow-on workshops for Latin America and Africa, as well as workshops for the Middle East/Central Asia and the Asia-Pacific.
Find out more on the CPPNM/A and the review conference here.
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