 Welcome to New Sec Talks. Security through law. If I asked you to think of an example of a butterfly effect, I imagine nuclear is not the word that would come to mind. However, nuclear is perhaps the best example of a field where single development through seemingly non-linear chain reaction impacts all of our lives, in every corner of the world and even beyond. The discovery of the radioactive properties of radium and polonium led to the development of x-rays. This is one of the impacts of Marie Curie's discovery. What was thought to be a simple test at nuclear power plant uprooted the lives of thousands, made the environment uninhabitable and led to the development of an international legal framework for nuclear safety. These were some of the impacts of Chernobyl. A seemingly small inconsequential event could lead to a dirty bomb forever impacting how we live, work and travel. When it comes to nuclear security and preventing malicious acts involving nuclear and other radioactive material, the international community must remain proactive. Today, speakers from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA, the United Nations Office of Counterterrorism in New York and the Nigerian mission to the international organizations in Vienna will demonstrate how universal adherence to and implementation of the convention on the physical protection of nuclear material as amended helps the international community remain vigilant and prevent a nuclear security event. First, I would like to welcome the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Raphael Mariano Grossi to tell us why it is important to adhere to and implement the convention on the physical protection of nuclear material and its amendment. Hello everyone, welcome to this new SEC talk on security through law and welcome to the 64th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Radiation technology plays a bigger part in our lives than most of us realize. We are probably most familiar with its use when we go to dentist or for medical checkup. But did you know that it is also used to treat some of the fabrics used to make our clothes or to make the non-stick pots and pans we use in the kitchen or to detect tiny cracks in the wings of aircraft that are invisible to the naked eye. These are some of the innumerable ways in which nuclear science and technology improve the quality of our daily lives. On a larger scale, 31 countries are presently using nuclear power which supplies over 10% of the world's electricity and around a third of all low carbon electricity. There is a risk, however that this remarkable technology could be misused for malicious purposes. Terrorist attack involving a dirty bomb in which conventional explosives are combined with a nuclear or radioactive substance could have catastrophic consequences. That is why we need to have a proper global framework in place to ensure that nuclear and other radioactive material does not fall into the wrong hands. Protecting nuclear material and facilities is a national responsibility but the IAEA is the international center for cooperation in nuclear security. We offer countries practical assistance, provide radiation equipment and train police and border guards on how to detect smuggled material. A very important legal instrument known as the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, the CPPNM came into force in 1987. It is the only legal binding treaty on the protection of nuclear material. It covered the physical protection of nuclear material during international transport, established a number of criminal offenses involving such material and created a basis for international cooperation. In 2005 an amendment was adopted which significantly broadened the scope of the CPPNM, requiring parties to ensure protection of all nuclear facilities and of all nuclear material in domestic use, storage and transport. I'm very pleased that 124 states have joined the amendment since it came into force four years ago. But we can expect that terrorists will try to exploit the weakest link in any chain. It is therefore essential that all countries adhere to the amended Convention to help ensure that nuclear material throughout the world is properly protected against malicious acts by terrorists. The threat transcends international boundaries. An attack in one state could have serious consequences for its neighbors. Even countries with little or no nuclear material on their territory need to join the amended Convention to ensure that they are not unwittingly used for transit. The amended CPPNM will help to ensure that anyone involving criminal acts, involving nuclear material, is denied safe haven and brought to justice. I appeal to all countries that have not yet done so, please adhere to the amended CPPNM as a matter of urgency. We will all benefit from a strengthened international framework on combating nuclear terrorism. Thank you. Thank you, Director General Grossi, for identifying the risks that nuclear science and technology could be misused for malicious purposes. And thank you for kicking off our conversation. For those of you joining us from around the world join the conversation and submit your questions through social media. Hashtag IAGC, hashtag CPPNMA and hashtag new SEC talks. Now we will tune into the United Nations studios in New York to hear the Undersecretary General Vladimir Voronkov assess the global threat context and threat patterns. Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Vladimir Voronkov and I am the United Nations Undersecretary General for counterterrorism. As you may know, before starting my current job, I served as the Russian permanent representative to IAEA and as a member of the Board of Governors. I am therefore very familiar with the organization and the impressive work it is doing. It's my humble opinion, IAEA is one of the most effective and result-oriented international organizations which combine diplomats and nuclear experts. It's always amazing to work with IAEA and its leadership. I am pleased to join you today to talk about some of the key nuclear security issues and specifically to reflect together on the threat of nuclear terrorism and why nuclear security is important to us all. It's great to be together for a new sec talk with the good old friends, Director General Raphael Grossi and Director Perry Johnson as well as Distinguished Counselor Sharad Okor. I fully agree when they say that the world benefits greatly from the peaceful use of nuclear energy and technology. At the same time we must remain vigilant as any probability of terrorists accessing and using nuclear and radiological weapons and materials bring a serious threat to international peace and security. So let's begin our new sec talk. Why is nuclear security so important? As the world evolves and develops, many member states look more towards nuclear power and advancements in nuclear science and technology. The IAEA shows that since 2012 the global nuclear generation has risen. It's interesting to know that around 10% of the world's electricity is generated now by about 440 nuclear power reactors. Over 50 countries utilize nuclear energy in about 220 research reactors. This increases the presence of nuclear and radiological materials, facilities and transports in the world and increases the threat and the likelihood of materials being lost, stolen and potentially moved out of control. Because of that nuclear and radiological terrorism is an issue of particular concern for member states and the international community. New and stronger measures must be taken to protect against and to prepare for a broad range of terrorist scenarios including nuclear and radiological terrorism. Some scenarios could include terrorists using radioactive material to build a radiological dispersal device or so-called dirty bomb. Nuclear facilities or facilities holding radiological material could also be exposed to terrorist sabotage, infiltration or attacks. In addition, advancement in and the potential misuse of new technologies such as drones, artificial intelligence and 3D printing present new angles to the threat with which we must grapple. So how real is the threat? Only one example. In June 2018 experts reported that the ISIL had seized 40 kilos of low-enriched uranium from scientific institutions at the Mosul University in Iraq. This shows that the possibility of such materials falling into the hands of non-state actors or terrorists is real. Moreover, the Mosul incident was not an isolated case. The IEA incident and trafficking database lists more than three and a half thousand incidents which Member States reported from 1993 through 2019 as involving illicit trafficking and other unauthorized activities with nuclear and radioactive materials. These are warring figures. The light of increasingly strong linkages between organized crime and terrorism, nuclear and radiological materials trafficked by criminal groups could easily end up in the hands of terrorists. At the same time, the dark web has increasingly become an important illegal marketplace which ISIL and other non-state actors have regularly exploited including for fundraising purposes. The dark web has also been used to buy and sell radioactive materials. The next question is why Member States should join and enforce the convention for the physical protection of nuclear materials and its amendment of 2005? The answer is radiological and nuclear weapons can have devastating physical and psychological impact and terrorists using these materials truly justifies our attention. To protect individuals and our society as a whole we need to invest every effort to support Member States in developing strong and robust legal frameworks and enforcement measures. As you know, this side event focuses on the convention for the physical protection of nuclear materials and its 2005 amendment. From the counter-terrorist perspective it is important that Member States join and enforce the convention and its amendment as it requires the criminalization of the unlawful use, transfer or theft of nuclear material and threats to use nuclear material to cause death, serious injury or substantial property damage. Moreover in 2005 amendment addresses counter-terrorism concerns expanding the convention scope to cover the physical protection of nuclear material in domestic use, storage and transport and the protection of nuclear materials and facilities against sabotage. What about the other side of the coin, the international convention for the suppression of acts of nuclear terrorism? In 2005 Iksant was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly by consensus. By legally binding instrument the convention obliges state parties to extradite or prosecute alleged offenders and calls for cooperation among state parties in preventing terrorist attacks by sharing information and assisting each other with criminal investigations and extradition. The convention for the physical protection of nuclear materials, its 2005 amendment and Iksant serve as primary tools to ensure that there is no safe heaven for those who commit or seek to commit acts of nuclear terrorism. And what about new technologies? Since these conventions and resolutions were drafted, we have witnessed significant changes in technological capability available to both terrorists and counter-terrorist forces. Currently the existing legal framework faces challenges to keep up with the speed, complexity and innovation of advancement in science and technology. If we are to understand emerging technologies and benefit from the opportunities they bring us but also anticipate the potential threats posed by their misuse, we must engage with the private sector and with the academia. It is within these sectors that these technologies and their applications, good and bad, will be identified, researched, developed and anticipated. What is the United Nations Office of Counterterrorism doing to combat the threat? The office is working with other UN entities, member states and international and regional organizations to strengthen counter-terrorism efforts across the globe. Through the United Nations Global Counterterrorist Coordination Compact launched by the Secretary General in December 2018 we provide a platform to strengthen coordination and coherence in the counter-terrorism activities of more than 43 United Nations and not United Nations entities. And through the compact working group on emerging threats and critical infrastructure protection, we share information with key partners in the field of nuclear security such as the comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty organization, Interpol the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the United Nations Security Council 1540 Committee Group of Experts. Also the United Nations Counter-Terrorist Center within my office, support member states efforts to implement the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorist Strategy through capacity building activities implemented in cooperation with international partners. The center works to better understand the threat of nuclear and biological terrorism through a global study focused on capabilities and intent of terrorists assessing and using these materials. We also conduct trainings for law enforcement, intelligence first responders, customs officials, judiciary and many more engaged in the prevention preparedness and response to this type of terrorism. For example, in 2019 we carried out two regional table top exercises for African countries and the Middle East and North Africa region in Nigeria and Morocco respectively. These activities focused on legal frameworks and also on border security. Last but not least, the center works on the promotion of the universalization and effective implementation of Ixand. To conclude I would like to ask again why is nuclear security so important. So ladies and gentlemen, let me conclude by stressing that nuclear security is important for all of us. As we advance into the third decade of the third century, nuclear energy, science and technology are no longer something only seen in the science fiction movies but increasingly a normal part of our world. As long as this remains the case I hope you will agree that the threat of nuclear and radiological terrorism is too real for us we simply can't rest of our laurels. We must keep working to enhance nuclear security for the good of our societies and for the good of the world. Thank you under Secretary General Voronkov for the global overview of the threats to nuclear and other radioactive material. As the Director General Grossi has stated, the convention of nuclear material and its 2005 amendment are the most important legal tools to address these threats. Now I turn to Ms. Perry Lynn Johnson, the legal advisor and the director of the Office Legal Affairs at the International Atomic Energy Agency to tell us how the convention and the amendment came into being and what they stipulate. Thank you Ina for that introduction. It's a pleasure to be here taking part in this virtual event to talk about how the legal framework helps strengthen nuclear security worldwide so that we can all benefit from the peaceful uses of the atom a core purpose of the IAEA based on our statute and I will also talk about how we at the IAEA can help you. Each and every day we see the benefits of the peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology. How nuclear techniques are used to detect and combat the spread of disease such as the nuclear sterile insect technique used to fight diseases carried by mosquitoes including dengue and the Zika virus. How nuclear power plays an important role in the production of clean energy to help stem climate change. How nuclear medicine helps fight cancer with nuclear imaging helping find tumors and measure the spread of cancer in the body. And radiotherapy being an essential tool in cancer treatment. How nuclear science supports improvements in food production as well as food and water safety through for instance the use of nuclear techniques to detect and monitor contamination and the use of irradiation to increase the durability of food products. And most recently how nuclear derived techniques are being used to rapidly detect and study the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. As we continue to harness the peaceful uses of nuclear technology for the benefit of humankind we must at the same time make sure that we recognize and address the threats posed by the potential misuse of nuclear materials and strengthen our ability to stop those that would seek to use these materials to cause harm. The legal framework plays a key role in this. Director General Grossi has emphasized that the legal framework plays the essential role in global nuclear security and universal adherence to the key legal instruments is crucial. One of the key tools we have to protect nuclear material in facilities from malicious acts is the convention on the physical protection of nuclear material as strengthened by its 2005 amendment. But that tool will not be as strong as it can be until all countries have signed on and are fully implementing. I'm now going to tell you a story about how the CPPNM and its amendment came to be. The negotiation and adoption of the original convention which entered into force in 1987 was based on the widespread recognition that while responsibility for nuclear security within a state rests with that state there was a clear need for international cooperation to ensure adequate physical protection to prevent misuse of nuclear material. The result was a first of its kind multilateral treaty providing for the physical protection of nuclear material used for peaceful purposes in international transport. As this was about dealing with the threat of malicious acts perpetrated by non-state actors, the CPPNM also sets out a number of offenses involving nuclear material that parties must criminalize in their national jurisdictions. And it provides a basis for international cooperation and assistance for recovery and protection of material following the commission of a crime with regard to criminal proceedings and in connection with designing physical protection systems. The CPPNM was a very good start. In fact the IAEA had already developed recommendations on the physical protection of nuclear material before that but this was the moment when physical protection criminalization and international cooperation in the area of nuclear security were made legally binding. However in the following years it became evident that more needed to be done. So the story is continuing. We were confronted by devastating acts of international terrorism in particular following 11 September 2001 and I was in New York at that time. It wasn't hard to imagine the death destruction and panic that could be caused by an act of terrorism involving nuclear materials. The threat of nuclear terrorism and the potential grave consequences could certainly not be contained within national borders. This is an international issue that requires international action. The director general of the IAEA convened an expert group to consider whether there was a need to revise the CPPNM and the answer was yes in order to further the effective implementation and improvement of physical protection worldwide and reduce the risk of theft or other unlawful taking of nuclear material or sabotage of nuclear material or facilities. The development of an amendment to strengthen the CPPNM was part of a push to strengthen the international legal framework aimed at preventing nuclear terrorism and other weapons of mass destruction terrorism. In 2004 the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1540 requiring all UN member states to take measures to prevent malicious non-state actors from developing obtaining and using nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. In 2005 the convention for the suppression of acts of nuclear terrorism was negotiated and adopted in the UN. And here at the IAEA in 2005 we convened the conference to consider and adopt proposed amendments to the CPPNM the amendment that was eventually adopted significantly strengthens the original CPPNM in a number of important ways. Instead of only requiring physical protection measures for nuclear material and international transport the amendment extends the scope of the original treaty setting out obligations for parties to ensure physical protection of all nuclear facilities and nuclear material used for peaceful purposes under their jurisdiction. The amendment also adds to the list of criminal offenses by covering smuggling of nuclear material, sabotage of nuclear material and facilities. These are new offenses under the amendment and the amendment provides for enhanced international cooperation including assistance and information sharing in the event of sabotage. It took some time to reach the necessary threshold for entry into force but on 8 May 2016 that crucial milestone was reached. This achievement showed the dedication of the international community to strengthening the tools we have to reduce the risk of a terrorist act involving nuclear material which could have catastrophic consequences for humanity. To this day the CPPNM and its amendment remain the only internationally legally binding undertakings in the area of physical protection of nuclear material and nuclear facilities used for peaceful purposes. Right now 124 states and your atom have joined the amendment. That's good but it's not enough. Answering the call of our member states the IAEA continues to encourage universal adherence to the CPPNM and its amendment. As Director General Grossi has said universal adherence to the CPPNM as amended is key to international efforts to prevent nuclear terrorism and it must be a priority. This is because the CPPNM as strengthened by its amendment it's beneficial for all countries not just those with nuclear materials and facilities. Why? It provides a strengthened international framework for combating nuclear terrorism and thereby enhancing the national security of each state. It facilitates international and regional cooperation. It serves as a basis for ensuring that those involved in terrorist and other criminal acts involving nuclear material are brought to justice and denied safe haven. And it harmonizes national approaches to preventing and responding to criminal and other unauthorized acts involving nuclear material and facilities. An act of nuclear terrorism perpetrated in one state would have consequences for everyone. That is why security for one is security for all. Whether you're a state with nuclear power, a state whose neighbors have nuclear material in facilities, or a state through whose territory shipments of nuclear material pass, we all play a role in helping to reduce the risk of malicious acts. So how do we get there? How do we realize our goal of universal adherence to and full implementation of the CPPNM and its amendment? Well, at the agency we are aware of the challenges faced by states in becoming party to these instruments and in fully implementing their obligations. It may be the need for more awareness among decision makers, or the need for legal or technical expertise to fully and effectively implement the convention. We stand ready to help. The agency provides both legal and technical assistance to help you in becoming party to and in fully implementing your obligations once party to both instruments, CPPNM and its amendment. For example, through our legislative assistance program, we offer bilateral assistance, national, regional and international training, including our annual two week nuclear law institute and expert missions to raise awareness among senior officials and decision makers. We work with states to develop integrated nuclear security support plans that help review national nuclear security regimes and identify areas where they need to be strengthened. We further help support adherence to and implementation of international legal instruments in the area of nuclear security through peer review missions, such as the International Physical Protection Advisory Service and the International Nuclear Security Advisory Service missions. These are conducted by international experts led by the IAEA. In conclusion, we have seen how nuclear science and technology contributes to peace, health and prosperity. Accelerating and enlarging this contribution is a founding objective of the IAEA as set out in the agency statute. And we want to ensure that all states can benefit from the peaceful uses of nuclear technology safely and securely. The foundation of all of this is a solid and robust legal framework. Let's work together to strengthen that foundation through universal adherence to and full implementation of the CPPNM and its amendment. Thank you. Thank you, Perry. Thank you for outlining the global benefits of adhering to the sole international legally binding instrument on the physical protection of nuclear material and for highlighting some of the agency assistants to help states adhere to and implement the convention and the amendment. While you're still here, could we ask you a couple of questions from our audiences around the world? We collected through social media campaign. Very happy to take a few questions, Ina. What does it mean to adhere to and fully implement the CPPNM and its amendment? That's a very good question. And part of it is the formal act of expressing consent to be bound by the CPPNM and its amendment. These are treaties, of course. So states have to join these treaties by depositing an instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval. If you're already a party to the CPPNM itself, you can deposit an instrument to be bound by the amendment. And if you're not a party to the original CPPNM, you can deposit an instrument that covers both the CPPNM and the amendment in one go. So that's the treaty aspect. So the other part to the question is the implementation aspect. Implementation also entails criminalizing the offenses listed in the convention, establishing the necessary jurisdiction over criminal offenses, and ensuring extradition or prosecution of alleged offenders. And national arrangements are necessary to implement the international cooperation provisions. This includes identifying and making known a state party's point of contact for matters related to the convention. The agency compiles the list of points of contact and maintains it on the nuclear security information portal, otherwise known as the NUSEC portal. Thank you, Perry. Could you elaborate on the main challenges faced by countries in adhering to and implementing the CPPNM and its amendment? That's another good question, and it's something that we deal with regularly in our support to member states. And a few things we've learned. One, the need for more awareness among decision makers regarding the importance of the relevant international legal instruments. The time it takes to navigate the parliamentary process, because these are treaties for these instruments to become part of the national legal framework. The need for legal and technical expertise for the full and effective implementation of the CPPNM and its amendment. Translating the key elements into the specific statutory language can quite often be a complex and difficult task, particularly for legislative drafters who may lack a detailed background in either nuclear technology or nuclear law or nuclear security related matters. And related to this, we see the need for training. As I mentioned earlier, the IAEA can help. We have a number of missions that are led by the Division of Nuclear Security to help member states on the technical aspects of physical protection. On the legal side, we offer legislative assistance to our member states. This is where we can help in the development of the legislation and also we can help and understand understanding what the obligations are and how to effectively implement them into the national legal framework. And all of this of course is to ensure the safe, secure, and peaceful use of nuclear science and technology. Of course, our legislative assistance is provided on request, so you have to ask and it's available to all member states regardless of the size of your nuclear program. Legislative assistance would be of particular benefit to those states which are either in the process of establishing new laws, updating existing laws, or consolidating your existing national nuclear framework, or seeking to do so. We implement, as I mentioned earlier, the legislative assistance program through a number of different features. We have bilateral assistance where we help with drafting national laws. We have awareness missions. These are opportunities for us to meet with your senior officials and explain what these treaties are about and why they're important. We have national and regional training courses and seminars. And I also mentioned the Nuclear Law Institute. That's a two-week annual course, an intensive training course on nuclear law with a special emphasis on legislative drafting. So it's really important to help states in implementing their obligations under these instruments into their national law. We do a lot of training of individuals through fellowships and scientific visits and we develop reference material such as the handbook on nuclear law. This reference material is really helpful as experts in your countries are looking at how to implement and incorporate the international obligations into your national law. Thank you, Perry. Thank you for that overview of the IAE assistance in navigating the challenges for the member states or for the states in general looking to join the CPPNM and the amendment. In 2021, a conference of parties to the amendment, to the convention on the physical protection of nuclear material is coming up. What are the expectations for the conference? Very good question and something that's been keeping us really busy in the legal office and in the security division. So yes, that's right. In 2021, the IAEA will convene a conference to review the implementation of the convention as amended and its adequacy as concerns the preamble, the whole of the operative part and the annexes in light of the then prevailing situation. That's taken directly from the treaty itself. This conference will take place five years after the entry into force of the amendment and this is foreseen in Article 16 of the CPPNM as amended. So preparations for the conference are underway based on a roadmap that was adopted by the parties in 2018. So far, we've had two meetings of legal and technical experts. These were held in 2019 to begin laying the substantive and procedural groundwork for the conference. Later this year, a meeting of the preparatory committee is planned and the task is to undertake formal preparations for the 2021 conference. Thank you, Perry, for highlighting what it means for states to undertake this legal commitment and for giving us a preview of the 2021 conference of the parties to the amendment to the convention for the physical protection of nuclear material. And now we turn to Charles Koko, councillor at the permanent mission of Nigeria to the international organizations in Vienna to share the Nigerian experience of implementing and adhering to the CPPNM and the amendment. Charles, would you please tell us your experiences. Thank you, Ina. And thank you for this opportunity to share the Nigerian experience. To demonstrate why it is important for all states to adhere to and implement the legal instruments in the field of nuclear security. I will focus on the convention and the physical protection of nuclear materials, the CPPNM as we call it, and its 2005 amendment. For Nigeria my country, this story begins in 2007. In April 2007, Nigeria adhered to the CPPNM and a month later in May 2007, our national authorities ratified the amendment to the convention. Even though at the time the convention was yet, or rather the amendment was yet to come into force, Nigeria began its own journey and started to implement the obligations under the convention and its amendments. In our own way, we tried to lead the international community by providing an example of effective implementation of the convention and its amendments on the ground and through the actions we took. First, we need to identify the heroes of this story. The agencies and the officials of the Nigerian government with the responsibilities for nuclear security and physical protection of nuclear materials and facilities, they are the heroes of the story. The Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission, or NAIC as we call it, is responsible for the promotion of the use of nuclear technologies for peaceful purposes and carries out those duties in line with nuclear security imperatives. After the amendment was ratified by Nigeria, NAIC focused on the first pillar of the convention and its amendments, the physical protection of nuclear material in use, storage and transport, both domestic and international. Following the acceptance of the convention and the ratification of the amendment, NAIC started to strengthen physical protection at the various facilities it operates within the country. These include a research reactor and a gamma irradiation facility. Through international cooperation, facilitated by the International Atomic Energy Agency, my country upgraded fiscal security at both facilities and following on the successful upgrade of those facilities, physical protection architecture was strengthened at other facilities around the country where sensitive materials were used. These actions increased the security of the sensitive material around the country, but at a time like with technical and material support from the international community was busy building fences, securing gates and amplifying cameras. The other hero of our story, our regulatory body, the Nigeria Nuclear Regulatory Authority, was building laws. NNRA, as we refer to the regulator, was busy trying their best to strengthen the legal and regulatory framework in line with the obligations of the convention and its amendments. The NNRA has issued new regulations and developed new guidelines to better ensure nuclear security in all nuclear and associated facilities across the country. Those included regulations and transport and storage. NNRA also facilitated the process for establishing criminalization of offenses and establishment of the judicial processes to deal with the offenses and merited in the convention and the amendments. To further ensure physical protection of material out of regulatory control, Nigeria also launched a program of search and recovery of legacy offenses across the country. In addition, our authorities instituted many other measures to supplement our efforts to carry out nuclear security obligations under the convention. And to ensure that we strengthen the overall national nuclear security regime. In this regard, we converted the fuel of the research reactor NIRR1 from high-enriched uranium to low-enriched uranium with international support including through the IAEA. We also developed a human reliability program in our facilities and conducted a threat assessment so as to review security status of all nuclear and radioactive, all nuclear and radiological sources to identify areas in need of further improvements. Implementing the obligations under the convention and its amendments was not an easy feat, though it was a necessary one. Although the two heroes of our story, our Atomic Energy Commission and the NNRA were plain leading parts. Many other authorities, officials, persons and agencies were contributing and continue to contribute both within Nigeria and our partners across the world also continue to assist us including through facilitation from the IAEA. Because when it comes to nuclear security, what affects one affects all. The results of implementing the convention and the amendments are tangible for Nigeria and for the world. Two years ago, there was an intercept of a suspected transshipment of scrap metal including radioactively contaminated metal through a port in Nigeria to European ports. Although there was no malicious intent behind the incident, the necessary judicial processes were launched and activated to investigate and if necessary to hold to account those responsible. The absence of such a process would make it difficult to punish those responsible and therefore it would be difficult to deter others with similar or others with malicious intent who may seek to exploit vulnerability. We have also had cases of temporal loss of regulatory control over radioactive sources in the past. These cases are almost entirely absent today as adherence to the CPPNM and the amendments have led to the establishment of a robust system of quick detection and action. Nigeria benefits from strong international cooperation including through information sharing via the IAEA, incidents and trafficking database, ITDB and other databases of the agencies. Our points of contact reported cases of loss of sources to the ITDB in the past and we received helpful feedback from other countries and member states. In an increasingly interconnected world, flights and ships transit across all borders. As such, nuclear material or radioactive sources could often pass through a state that is not its destination. A unified legal basis allows for harmonized approach to dealing with those looking to acquire unauthorized access to the material in a place where such offenses are not considered criminal. Effective nuclear security globally depends on the strength of the nuclear security regime in each country. In other words, beyond ratifying, states should seek to take steps towards full implementation of the Convention and the amendment. Whether it is by developing local legislations and regulations or enacting practices consistent with the treaty or cooperating with each other for more secure regions and the world. Universal adherence and implementation of the CPPNM and its amendments will make the world more secure and ensure that vital nuclear facilities and peaceful use of nuclear technologies will remain in operation without disruption. Having made significant progress to strengthen nuclear security in our own country, we appreciate that the journey of adherence and effective implementation is long and could be complicated. From our journey, we know that the goal is worthwhile and that the international community as well as the International Atomic Energy Agency is here to help. Nigeria is also here to help. In 2012, we hosted in Abuja, Nigeria an Africa regional workshop attended by 31 participants from the region on facilitating adherence to the CPPNM and its amendments. Thereafter, we have engaged at bilateral levels to further facilitate adherence and ratifications across our country, across our region and beyond. In 2019, Nigeria was announced by Director General of the IAEA as co-presidents for the review conference of the parties to the amendments to the CPPNM and its amendments, scheduled for 2021. In this regard, we are working with a Swiss co-president and the IAEA to use the conference as an opportunity to take stock of how far the international community has come and to develop a plan of action to go further. Because the universal adherence to an effective implementation of the convention on the fiscal protection of nuclear material and its amendment is an important step in the journey. But the journey towards the world, where nuclear and other radioactive material is secured and is used for peaceful purpose, is an ongoing and continuous one. Nigeria will continue and we call on all others to also join us. Thank you very much. Thank you, Charles. Thank you for pointing out concrete measures that Nigeria has taken to implement the convention on the physical protection of nuclear material and its amendment. And thank you for sharing with us the heroes of the Nigerian story. So now, we have had a social media campaign running and global audience has submitted some questions. If you wouldn't mind answering a couple. No problem. What would you recommend to the countries that have only radioactive material? Should they adhere to the convention on the physical protection of nuclear material and its amendment and why? Thank you, Ine. In the world we live in today, like I had previously highlighted while I was speaking about the Nigerian story, the world is very interconnected. Not only is the world interconnected, sometimes the nature of the interconnectedness is not as apparent as it may seem. Countries with small amounts of nuclear material or no amount of nuclear material within their territories, in my view, should adhere to the treaty. Not just the treaty. There should also make efforts to ratify its amendment and to implement both. The reason is very simple. Even for a country with little or no material within its territory or a country that have only radioactive sources but no nuclear material, it is important to point out that international transports of nuclear material could, on many occasions, pass through their ports, that's ships in transit, or through their airbothers, that's their airports. So it is important for them to be part of the international legal system, the international legal framework with the CPP and its amendment seeks to engender. A country that ratifies the amendment, a country that is part of the convention and ratifies the amendment, is in a good position to ensure that even if it is only for the purpose of transit or flights or ships through their country and we know that those flights, those aircrafts or those ships on many occasions could also be transporting nuclear material. For the purpose of ensuring that they have a framework to secure those materials and a framework that stipulates a criminal and judicial process, it is important for them to be parties to the treaty and its amendment. But that's not all. We have seen from the story of many countries around the world that the use of nuclear materials is a step that many countries quickly get to for peaceful purposes, either in the form of research reactors or in the form of nuclear power plants or for other purposes. Even if you have no material today or very little material today, if you already establish the framework that the CPPNM and its amendments seeks to create, if you are part of it, by the time you begin to have a larger quantity of nuclear material in your country for peaceful uses, then you will be in a better position to use those materials without worry because you are already a part of a system, you've already established the necessary framework within your country and then you know what you are dealing with and you will better deal with it. Therefore, my recommendation for all countries across the world, irrespective of the quantity of radioactive or nuclear material, is that they should adhere to the convention, ratify its amendments and implement both. Thank you. Thank you Charles for highlighting those benefits of adhering to and implementing their amendment, even for the countries with only radioactive material or limited activities. As the co-president of the 2021 conference to the amendment to the convention on the physical protection of nuclear material, what is your vision for the conference? Thank you again Nina. Nigeria is co-president. My ambassador is the co-president, but I am on the team of the co-president. So I can share the vision of the co-president with you. The vision of the co-president is that we will have a meeting conference, a meeting review conference that will bring together all the countries of the world, facilitated by the International Mechanical Energy Agency. This would be in 2021. The goal of that conference will be to review the implementation of the convention as required by its amendments. It would be an opportunity for the countries of the world to engage each other, to learn from each other, to understand the successes and the difficulties and the lessons that various countries have learned. On the basis of that, it is our hope that participants in the conference, the delegates to this meeting review conference, will be able to develop an outcome that will identify the challenges that exist as well as make recommendations on how to tackle those challenges. It would be an outcome, we hope, for the secretaries of the IAEA to also better understand the challenges that countries are facing and the successes that countries are recording as it relates to the convention. Therefore we hope that the IAEA will be better able to facilitate international cooperation between the countries on the basis of those challenges or for the basis of sharing and benefitting from the successes that would be identified. The co-presidents will continue to consult ahead of the conference. The co-presidents hope that countries that are yet to be parties to the convention or yet to ratify its amendment will consider doing so before the conference. And we hope that by the time we get to the conference, the numbers of countries who are parties to the convention or who have ratified the amendments will be very, very high. Ultimately we hope to achieve complete universal adherence of the convention and its amendment. Thank you. Thank you, Charles. From Vienna to New York to Abuja, we have heard one unifying theme. Universal adherence to and implementation of the convention on the physical protection of nuclear material and its amendment is essential for ensuring that sensitive material and facilities are not misused for malicious purposes and for sustaining the benefits we all derive from nuclear science and technology. Just as a single unlocked door may lead to unauthorized access and potentially dirty bomb, the single decision to adhere to and implement the convention for the physical protection of nuclear material and its amendment will lead to greater nuclear security worldwide.