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Conference of the Parties to the Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material 2022
28 March–1 April 2022, Vienna, Austria
The Conference of the Parties to the Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (A/CPPNM), planned to take place from 28 March to 1 April 2022, will mark just over five years after entry into force of the Amendment, a major milestone in the development of the international legal framework for nuclear security. The Director General of the IAEA, as depositary, is pleased to convene this important Conference in accordance with Article 16.1 of the CPPNM as amended. Ambassador Benno Laggner of Switzerland and Ambassador Suleiman Dauda Umar of Nigeria have been designated as Co-Presidents for the Conference.
The CPPNM, as strengthened by the Amendment, provides a solid framework for protecting nuclear facilities, as well as nuclear material in domestic use, storage and transport, as well as in international transport. It harmonizes approaches to combatting criminal acts involving nuclear material and facilities. It also serves as a basis for international cooperation in locating and recovering stolen or smuggled nuclear material, as well as in the case of sabotage.
The purpose of the Conference is to review the implementation of the CPPNM as amended and its adequacy as concerns the preamble, the whole of the operative part and the annexes in the light of the then prevailing situation.
In preparation for the Conference, the Secretariat, on behalf of the Parties, convened two informal Open-Ended Meetings of Legal and Technical Experts in July and November 2019, as well as two sessions of the Preparatory Committee in December 2020 and February 2021, which undertook Conference preparations including with respect to draft Rules of Procedure and a draft annotated agenda.
NGO Participation
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) may be represented at the Conference as observers, subject to the approval of the Parties, and participate as determined by the Parties. NGOs should inform the IAEA Secretariat by email) of their wish to be represented before 29 October 2021.
Side Events
Requests for side events during the Conference may be submitted by email to the IAEA Secretariat, for endorsement, using the dedicated request form. The deadline for submitted completed forms has been extended to 29 October 2021.
Further Resources and Relevant Information
Background material relevant to the Conference will be made available for States’ Parties convenience on the IAEA’s Nuclear Security Portal here.
Opportunities for Exhibitors
In conjunction with the Conference, an exhibition is being planned to give States, international and regional organizations, and non-governmental organizations an opportunity to highlight their work related to the CPPNM as amended. In view of space limitations, the selection of exhibitors will be on a ‘first come first served’ basis. Therefore, interested parties should contact the Scientific Secretariat by e-mail before 31 December 2021.