Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism

This was published as Pugwash India Backgrounder in Proliferation and Arms Control, Vol IV, 5, July 2007.

The genesis of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GI) and its place in the larger counter proliferation framework


The genesis of the GI can be traced back to US President Bush’s statement where he identified the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) as a major security threat of the 21st century which required a new, comprehensive strategy.[1] The Bush administration has since then strived to put in place a comprehensive approach to deal with the evolving threat posed by proliferation of WMDs. The US working with the international community has reformed the existing tools and has developed a number of new tools to combat the spread of WMDs.[2]

The US and its allies have put in place several initiatives to combat WMD proliferation over the last five years. The Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP), Missile Defence (MD) and the newly launched Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GI) are some such initiatives. These initiatives in conjunction with financial measures seek to deny proliferators the means to proliferate WMDs. John Rood, US Assistant Secretary of State in his address at the US National Defence University said, “these initiatives demonstrate the breadth, and the international nature, of the tools we must use – political, economic, intelligence, financial, military, science and technology – to combat today’s WMD threats.[3]

It is in this background that the first meeting of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GI) partners was held in Rabat, Morocco, on October 30-31, 2006, to establish a Statement of Principles to combat nuclear terrorism.[4] Subsequently, a second meeting was held in Ankara, Turkey, on February 12-13, 2007, where the partners reaffirmed their commitment to the initiative and developed a wide gamut of activities aimed at building the capabilities of participating nations and to take advantage of synergies created through multilateral cooperation.[5] The third and most recent meeting of the Initiative was held at Astana, Kazakhstan on June 11-12, 2007. The main aim of this meeting was to consolidate and build on the foundations laid during previous meetings of the GI.



What are the Objectives of the Initiative?


Partner nations of the Global Initiative gathered in Rabat, Morocco in October 2006 agreed to establish a Statement of Principles for the work of the Initiative.[6] By agreeing to and endorsing the Statement of Principles, all partners committed themselves to:

1. Strengthen nuclear material accounting, control, and physical protection;
2. Enhance the security of civilian nuclear facilities;
3. Research and develop national detection capabilities that are interoperable;
4. Enhance search, confiscation, and safe control capabilities;
5. Deny safe haven and financial resources to those facilitating nuclear terrorism;
6. Ensure adequate civil and criminal legal frameworks to deter nuclear terrorism;
7. Improve response, investigation, and mitigation capabilities; and
8. Promote information sharing among participants, while protecting confidentiality.

The partners to the Initiative also agreed to strengthen the foundation against nuclear terrorism as it required more than a commitment to a set of principles; it demands sustained action aimed at achieving concrete results.

What is the program of work as outlined in the global initiative?

A work program was put in place by the partners to the Initiative during the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sponsored conference on ”International Nuclear Terrorism Law Enforcement,” held at Miami, Florida on June 11-15, 2007.[7] The Conference brought together more than 500 participants from over twenty countries, including the Director of the FBI and the Deputy Director of the Federal Security Service in the Russian Federation. During the conference the participants developed a plan of work for 2007-2008. The plan of work includes activities to support each of the Global Initiative principles, with an emphasis on strengthening the key priorities to include:

1. Preventing the availability of nuclear material to terrorists;
2. Improving the capabilities of participating nations to detect, search for, and prevent trafficking in such materials;
3. Promoting information sharing and law enforcement cooperation;
4. Establishing appropriate legal and regulatory frameworks;
5. Minimizing the use of highly enriched uranium and plutonium in civilian facilities and activities;
6. Denying safe haven and financial resources to terrorists; and
7. Strengthening our response capabilities to minimize the impact of any nuclear terrorism attack.

Since the second meeting held in Turkey, Japan and Australia organised the first two capacity-building activities in the Global Initiative. In addition to the already planned activities, the partners also agreed to include capacity-building activities which will be hosted by Kazakhstan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
How many states are members of this Initiative?

There are currently 51 member states that have endorsed the Statement of Principles and are part of the Initiative. The European Union (EU) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have been accorded Observer Status.[8]

Pakistan and China are members of the Initiative. India has held that Pakistan was and is a weak link in the international community’s efforts to prevent proliferation of WMDs. The question as to whether Pakistan’s inclusion in the Initiative signals a shift from it being a problem in international non-proliferation efforts to being a solution is an open one.

What is the institutional framework of the Global Initiative?


An Implementation and Assessment Group (IAG) has been set up as part of the Initiative. The IAG is an informal advisory body of partner nations which is to coordinate and organize activities necessary for implementation of the Initiative. The initial participants of the IAG are Russia, the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. The IAEA is invited to be an observer to the IAG and to the activities of the Initiative.

The terms of reference for implementation and assessment made available by the State Department, says that “composition will be further adjusted with a view to making it more representative in order to facilitate the comprehensive implementation of the Initiative.”[9] The initial Co-Chairs of the IAG are the United States and Russia.

As the Initiative is still in its initial stages, it would not be correct to compare the IAG to the Core Group as it existed in the PSI. The existence of the Core Group was definitely seen by many countries as one of the stumbling blocks to their joining the PSI.

Should India join the Global Initiative? What are the associated costs and benefits for India?


The nature of the Global Initiative is different from other initiatives like the PSI or Missile Defence because the GI focuses more on capacity-building exercises. Both the Statement of Principles as well as the key priorities as agreed to by the partner states, attempts at fostering cooperation between partners in areas such as better physical protection of civilian nuclear facilities; researching and developing national detection capabilities which are interoperable; cooperating to deny safe haven and financial resources to those facilitating nuclear terrorism; promoting information sharing among partner states.

India as a part of the initiative could definitely play a larger and more important role in international efforts while at the same time out-manoeuvring the legal shackles that exist with participating in initiatives like the PSI. The Global Initiative could thus be an appropriate platform for India to cooperate in the international community’s efforts at curbing proliferation of WMDs.

Endnotes

[1] “President Announces New Measures to Counter the Threat of WMD,” February 11, 2004, available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/02/20040211-4.html
[2] John C. Rood, Assistant Secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation, “Building International Partnerships to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction,” Remarks to the Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction, National Defense University, May 16, 2007, available at http://www.state.gov/t/isn/rls/rm/85532.htm
[3] Ibid.
[4] “Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism,” November 1, 2006, available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/11/20061101.html
[5] “Second Meeting of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism,” February 12-13, 2007, Office of the Spokesperson, available at http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2007/february/79714.htm
[6] “Statement of Principles as agreed to by the member-states party to the Global Initiative” October 31, 2006, available at http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2006/75405.htm
[7] Andrew Grant, Acting Director, Office of WMD Terrorism, “Remarks at the 2007 Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism Law Enforcement Conference,” June 15, 2007, available at http://www.state.gov/t/isn/rls/rm/87320.htm
[8] “Current Partner Nations to the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism,” June 12, 2006, available at http://www.state.gov/t/isn/82787.htm
[9] “Terms of Reference for Implementation and Assessment,” November 20, 2006, available at http://www.state.gov/t/isn/rls/other/76421.htm

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