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Related International Agreements and Initiatives

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International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT)

Following the adoption of the Declaration on Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1994, the General Assembly established an ad hoc Committee and gave mandate to elaborate an International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings and an International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism.

The International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism was adopted at the UN General Assembly in April 2005, and a total of 115 nations signed the Convention. The Convention came into effect in July 2007, and 77 nations have ratified the Convention up to date.

The Convention imposes an obligation on States Parties to define the following acts as criminal offenses and to make them punishable through domestic penal law: the manufacture, possession, or the use of nuclear or radioactive material with an intent to cause serious physical injury, death or substantial damage to property or to the environment; and the use or damage of a nuclear facility in a manner that releases nuclear and radioactive material.

Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials (CPPNM) and Amendment

The Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials entered into force on 8 February 1987. It establishes measures related to the prevention, detection and punishment of offenses related to nuclear material.

On 8 July 2005, States Parties to the CPPNM adopted by consensus an Amendment to the CPPNM. Whereas the obligations for physical protection under the CPPNM covered nuclear material during international transport, the Amendment to the CPPNM makes it legally binding for States Parties to protect nuclear facilities and material in peaceful domestic use, storage and transport. It also provides for expanded cooperation between and among States regarding rapid measures to locate and recover stolen or smuggled nuclear material, mitigate any radiological consequences of sabotage, and prevent and combat related offences.

The Amendment will enter into force when it has been ratified by two-thirds of the States Parties of the Convention. The Amendment constitutes an important milestone in international efforts to improve the physical protection of nuclear material and facilities. The Amendment is vitally important for nuclear security and will have a major impact in reducing the vulnerability of States Parties to nuclear terrorism.

UN Security Council Resolution 1540

In April 2004, the UN Security Council adopted UN Security Council Resolution 1540, establishing for the first time binding obligations on all UN member states under Chapter VII of the UN Charter to take and enforce effective measures against the proliferation of WMD, their means of delivery and related materials. UNSCR 1540, if fully implemented, can help ensure that no State or non-State actor is a source or beneficiary of WMD proliferation.

All states have three primary obligations under UNSCR 1540 relating to such items: to prohibit support to non-State actors seeking such items; to adopt and enforce effective laws prohibiting the proliferation of such items to non-State actors, and prohibiting assisting or financing such proliferation; and to take and enforce effective measures to control these items, in order to prevent their proliferation, as well as to control the provision of funds and services that contribute to proliferation. If implemented successfully, each state's actions will significantly strengthen the international standards relating to the export of sensitive items and support for proliferators (including financing) and ensure that non-state actors, including terrorist and black-market networks, do not gain access to chemical, nuclear or biological weapons, their means of delivery or related materials.

INFCIRC 225 Rev. 5

INFCIRC 225 is an IAEA document providing guidance and recommendations for the physical protection of nuclear material against theft during use, storage, and transport, and contains provisions relating to the sabotage of nuclear materials or facilities. It remains the basic international standard for physical protection of nuclear material. It is not a treaty or a binding resolution but rather a set of guidelines and therefore has no signatories or ratification requirements.

The 2011 revision (Rev. 5) reflects contemporary threats such as terrorism and the need to align the document with the changed security standards set forth in the 2005 amendment to the convention on the physical protection of the nuclear materials.

Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT)

The Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism is an international partnership of 82 nations and four official observers (IAEA, EU, INTERPOL, and UNODC) who are committed to working individually and collectively to implement a set of shared nuclear security principles. The mission of the GICNT is to strengthen global capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to nuclear terrorism by conducting multilateral activities that strengthen the plans, policies, procedures, and interoperability of partner nations. The United States and Russia serve as Co-Chairs of the GICNT, and Spain serves as Coordinator of the Implementation and Assessment Group (IAG).

To date, GICNT partners have conducted almost 50 multilateral activities and seven senior-level meetings in support of these nuclear security objectives. The GICNT is open to nations that share in its common goals and are actively committed to combating nuclear terrorism on a determined and systematic basis.

The 7th GICNT Plenary was held in Daejeon, Korea, in June 2011.

G-8 Global Partership Against the Spread of Materials and Materials of Mass Destruction (G-8 GP)

The Global Partnership is a G-8 initiative committed to preventing terrorists or those that harbor them, from acquiring or developing nuclear, chemical, radiological or biological weapons, missiles, or related equipment and technology.

Launched at the 2002 G-8 Summit in Kananaskis, the 10-year, $20 billion G-8 Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction continues to make tangible contributions to international security and stability. Building upon the principles and guidelines agreed to at Kananaskis, G-8 Global Partnership partners continue to implement projects in Russia and Ukraine. The Partnership has also evolved to address new challenges and to deal with the spread of weapons and materials of mass destruction worldwide.

The G-8 Global Partnership's mandate was to end in 2012. However, at the 2011 G-8 Summit of Deauville, the leaders agreed to extend the Global Partnership beyond 2012.

Countries participating in the G-8 GP include the G-8 countries, the Republic of Korea, Australia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the European Union.