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FINDINGS OF THE WORKING GROUP ON TRENDS IN ILLICIT TRAFFICKING

From the Proceedings of
The Inaugural Conference on International Approaches to Nuclear & Radiological Security (IANRS)
September 29 to October 3, 2002 – London, UK
Hosted By
The United States Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, Office of International Material Protection and Cooperation
Co-Hosts:
The Ministry of the Russian Federation for Atomic Energy (MinAtom)
&
The Russian Research Center, Kurchatov Institute

The IANRS initiative launched in 2002 created an international community of experts from 27 countries organized in seven working groups to accelerate and expand international programs to secure nuclear and radiological materials and prevent nuclear terrorism. The inaugural IANRS conference examined how the events of 9/11 added complexity to the problem of preventing nuclear proliferation, securing nuclear and radiological material, and preventing nuclear terrorism, and sought to respond to the international community's call to develop a global response. Accordingly, the principal focus of the conference was developing international approaches to accelerating and expanding programs that secure nuclear and radiological materials. The working groups discussed strengths and vulnerabilities in the current programs and systems, and developed strategies to make physical security of nuclear material comprehensive.

IANRS Working Group B, Trends in Illicit Trafficking, conducted a comprehensive look at overall trends, and from this looked at enhancing the cooperative responses. It then judged these against an analysis of comparative program responses. Finally, it looked at, and developed, recommendations for future responses and preventative techniques. This group highlighted the role of international organisations as being essential for coordinating the vital work, examined the constraints upon it and pushed for an appropriate degree of integration of effort. It recommended the setting of immediate targets, the institution of a systematic approach for regular assessment and monitoring. It also recommended a follow-on conference together with the development of a mechanism for close communications and information sharing among participants.

Summary of Illicit Trafficking Working Group Recommendations: Presented by Mr. Kenji Murakami, Chairman of the IANRS Illicit Trafficking Working Group, and Director of Safeguards, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Austria

  • Information sharing among customs and border security organizations should be pursued.
  • Monitoring equipment should be compatible with the abilities of the end users. To be effective, monitoring equipment to combat illicit trafficking of radiological and nuclear materials should be supported with procedures to conduct performance tests and routine maintenance.
  • Training programs should be developed jointly with the relevant authorities that play a role to prevent illicit trafficking (police, border guards, customs agents, etc.). Regional training on best practices to share lessons learned should be held regularly to ensure effective coordination across borders.
  • International guidelines that address prevention and detection/response to illicit trafficking incidents, such as the IAEA Code of Conduct, should be adopted and implemented globally.
  • An effort should begin to develop an international clearinghouse of the various databases that are available to help organizations and individual countries prevent and counter illicit traffickers. There appear to be numerous helpful informational resources available that could be of tremendous use if they become more accessible for countries and organizations dedicated to fighting illicit trafficking. Similarly, lessons learned should be shared by iterating this information in some public documents such as the IAEA technical documents.
  • Special applications of detection systems need to be developed and tested, particularly in the case of crane and container handling equipment, and if found to be practical, should be implemented. All deployed detection systems should be multi-channel to be able to measure both gamma and neutron radiation.
  • A degree of integration at the national level on different measures is important. For example, a single authority to coordinate all relevant activities of illicit trafficking, physical protection, etc., could be established.