Leaders agree to co-ordinate nuclear security

Fifty-eight world leaders agree to reduce the amount of nuclear material in their possession in order to prevent it falling into the wrong hands.

Leaders of 58 countries, including representatives of the European Union, today (25 March) adopted a resolution calling for increased international co-ordination to secure nuclear material and nuclear weapons.

Some countries made firm commitments. Fifteen countries, including Georgia, Ukraine, Italy and Turkey, committed to stop producing highly enriched uranium and have the chemicals removed from their countries. Japan will distribute a part of their plutonium stock to the US.

This was the first high-level international meeting on nuclear security since a summit in Washington in 2010.

All the signatories agreed to reduce the amount of nuclear material in order to keep the risk of using it for wrong purposes as low as possible. Countries that use uranium or plutonium to generate energy or for research purposes should use it in the smallest amounts possible.

Also, work needs to be done to improve the security of nuclear installations and material by combating illicit trafficking or enhancing detection.

The agreements do not involve only nuclear material that can be used in weapons but the rules should also apply to other radioactive materials used in hospitals, industries or science.

All countries that attended the summit will execute the directives of the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA). Additionally, 30 countries agreed to implement these directives in their national laws and rules.

The leaders also agreed on improving exchange of information and better international co-operation. Continuous talks will be needed, the final statement said, with the supervision of the IAEA.

Herman van Rompuy, president of the European Council, told Dutch daily Nederlands Dagblad after the summit that the EU is “ahead of many other countries but much needs to be done to secure all nuclear material in all countries.”

“We are discussing these topics in times when international peace and security are at stake,” he said. “We as world leaders are responsible to act according to the law and to keep international peace.”

“Today’s summit is a success and has deepened progress since our meetings in Washington and Seoul,” said José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, following the summit.

The United States will host the next nuclear security summit in 2016.

Click here for a full analysis of the issues discussed at the summit.

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