Three international organizations (EU, IAEA, and UN) as well as 47 different countries attended. A key outcome of the Summit was the issuance of the Washington Work Plan, which provides detailed guidance for concrete national and international actions to implement the pledges in the Communiqué. It included:
- Ratifying and implementing treaties on nuclear security and nuclear terrorism;
- Cooperating through the United Nations to implement and assist others in connection with Security Council resolutions;
- Working with the International Atomic Energy Agency to update and implement security guidance and carry out advisory services;
- Reviewing national regulatory and legal requirements related to nuclear security and nuclear trafficking;
- Converting civilian facilities that use HEU to non-weapons-usable materials;
- Research on new nuclear fuels, detection methods, and forensics techniques;
- Development of corporate and institutional cultures that prioritize nuclear security;
- Education and training to ensure that countries and facilities have the people they need to protect their materials; and,
- Joint exercises among law enforcement and customs officials to enhance nuclear detection approaches.
- At the 2010 Summit, 32 countries made over 70 commitments on concrete steps to enhance nuclear security. (Reflecting the sense of urgency galvanized by the threat of nuclear terrorism and the occasion of the Summit, most of these commitments were implemented prior to the 2012 Summit, resulting in tangible improvements to global security)
2012 - Seoul, South Korea
The Seoul Communiqué identified 11 priority areas for strengthening nuclear security and presented specific actions in each area. Notably, it expanded upon the Washington Communiqué and Work Plan by:- Encouraging participating countries to announce specific actions to minimize the use of HEU by the end of 2013;
- Urging participating countries to ratify the 2005 Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material by 2014;
- Recognizing a need to increase synergy between nuclear safety and nuclear security;
- Emphasizing the need to improve the security of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste; and,
- Establishing specific measures to ensure the protection of radioactive sources.
In addition to the 47 participating countries that attended the Washington Summit, six new countries (Azerbaijan, Denmark, Gabon, Hungary, Lithuania, and Romania) joined in. The 2012 Summit also introduced the new concept of ‘gift baskets’ presented in the form of a joint statement by groups of participating countries. These joint statements included pledges to take collective action towards advancing a specific theme of nuclear security, such as the security of radioactive materials, nuclear information security, transportation security, and the development of high-density LEU fuel. A total of thirteen joint statements were presented in Seoul, which, when combined with the commitments enshrined in the Communiqué and the respective national statements of many participating countries, resulted in over 100 new commitments made at this summit.
2014 - The Hague, Netherlands
The Hague Summit built on the impressive track record of the previous two Summits, and focused on the key issues of strengthening the global nuclear security architecture, elevating the importance of cooperation between governments and nuclear industry, and maintaining the high level of achievement on Summit commitments. At the Summit, the international community reviewed the progress made since the previous summit, focused attention on objectives enunciated in the Seoul Communiqué and Washington Work Plan that have not yet been met, and developed a clear way ahead to translate them from ambition to action.
Extensive preparations and consultations among senior-level experts from each participating country were held in the run-up to this summit. These experts, or sherpas, met to develop consensus on the priorities and specific actions that ultimately formed the basis of the commitments made by world leaders in the Summit Communiqué. Three official side events also took place on the margins of The Hague Summit in an effort to involve key actors from the nuclear industry, the scientific community, NGOs, and the general public. The first, titled @tomic 2014, was a table-top exercise on decision-making in the event of an incident of nuclear terrorism.
2016 - Washington, DC
Although Vladimir Putin chose to have Russia represented during the 2010, 2012, and 2014 meetings, he defiantly chose not to attend this time around. This was the fourth and final one, so he won't get to attend two years down the road.
Obama continues to push for the ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, signed in the mid 1990s. Here are three of his main talking points for the summit:
"First, we’re taking concrete steps toward a world without nuclear weapons. The United States and Russia remain on track to meet our New START Treaty obligations so that by 2018 the number of deployed American and Russian nuclear warheads will be at their lowest levels since the 1950s. Even as the United States maintains a safe, secure and effective nuclear arsenal to deter any adversary and ensure the security of our allies, I’ve reduced the number and role of nuclear weapons in our national security strategy. I also have ruled out developing new nuclear warheads and narrowed the contingencies under which the United States would ever use or threaten to use nuclear weapons.
Second, we’re strengthening the global regime — including the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty — that prevents the spread of nuclear weapons. We’ve succeeded in uniting the international community against the spread of nuclear weapons, notably in Iran. A nuclear-armed Iran would have constituted an unacceptable threat to our national security and that of our allies and partners. It could have triggered a nuclear arms race in the Middle East and begun to unravel the global nonproliferation regime.
After Iran initially rejected a diplomatic solution, the United States mobilized the international community to impose sanctions on Iran, demonstrating that nations that fail to meet their nuclear obligations will face consequences. After intense negotiations, Iran agreed to a nuclear deal that closes every single one of its paths to a nuclear weapon, and Iran is now being subjected to the most comprehensive inspection regimen ever negotiated to monitor a nuclear program. In other words, under this deal, the world has prevented yet another nation from getting a nuclear bomb. And we’ll remain vigilant to ensure that Iran fulfills its commitments.
Third, we’re pursuing a new framework for civil nuclear cooperation so countries that meet their responsibilities can have access to peaceful nuclear energy. The international fuel bank that I called for seven years ago is now being built in Kazakhstan. With it, countries will be able to realize the energy they seek without enriching uranium, which could be at risk of diversion or theft."
The schedule included scenario-based policy discussion, international and institutional actions, and national actions to enhance nuclear security. Much of the media's attention, however, was focused on publicizing the comments that Obama made concerning GOP front-runner Donald Trump. Essentially, President Obama explained that given the actions and words of Donald Trump in preceding months, he has no understanding of the state of nuclear affairs or the Korean peninsula.
For more information, visit the websites for each nuclear summit, where the majority of this information was found. Thanks for reading.
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