Key partners of a US global initiative to upgrade nuclear security are meeting at an international conference in Vienna this September, preceding the annual IAEA General Conference. Called "The Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI) International Partners Conference", the meeting convenes at the Austria Center in Vienna 18-19 September 2004.
US Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham announced the GTRI in a speech at the IAEA in May 2004. He described it as a comprehensive global initiative to secure and/or remove high-risk nuclear and other radioactive material worldwide that pose a threat to the international community. The initiative targets vulnerable nuclear and other radioactive material worldwide, building upon existing and long-standing threat reduction efforts.
The USA, the Russian Federation, and the IAEA are already working together on several major programmes that are important components of the GTRI. They include the Russian Research Reactor Fuel Return Programme, the Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactors Programme, and the Tripartite Initiative to secure high-risk radioactive sources.
More information about the GTRI Conference is on the IAEA Meetings pages or from the US Department of Energy, Office of Global Threat Reduction, in Washington, DC.