Leaders of more than 50 countries attending the 4th Nuclear Security Summit in the US pledged to work together to prevent terrorists from accessing and using nuclear materials.
The threat of nuclear and radiological terrorism remains one of the greatest challenges to international security. The number of plutonium is increasing and nuclear weapon stockpiles are expanding in a number of countries.
In past two decades, there have been 2,700 reported incidents of missing radioactive materials including some involving highly enriched uranium.
According to the US, there are about 2,000 metric tons of nuclear usable materials around the world. To make a nuclear bomb, 25kg of highly enriched uranium is needed.
The threat is global and the impact of a nuclear terrorist attack would be global.
It is worrying that there is a lack of an effective global nuclear security system to ensure safety for nuclear transport and collection of missing radioactive materials.
The likelihood of IS possessing radioactive dirty bombs is concerning the world.
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Though it would be difficult for IS to develop a nuclear bomb, it can create dirty radioactive bombs - a weapon that can cause radioactive pollution and create serious economic and health consequences.
Notably, in December 2015, during an investigation into Paris terrorist attacks, the Belgian police found many clips in a camera of terrorists showing that the group responsible for the attacks has reportedly recorded video images of the home of a high-ranking official of a nuclear facility in Belgium.
At the 4th Nuclear Security Summit, leaders of attending countries released a joint communiqué reaffirming their commitments to preventing nuclear weapons from falling into the hand of extremists.
They pledge to strengthen the global nuclear security architecture that comprises legal instruments, international organizations, initiatives, and internationally recognized rules.
The joint communiqué is attached with an annex comprising 5 action plans to boost cooperation between countries attending the summit and international organizations including the IAEA and International Police or INTERPOL.
They will set up a Nuclear Security Contact Group involving senior officials of all countries who will increase cooperation and maintain nuclear security-related activities after the summit ends.
The leaders agreed that the possibility of terrorist obtaining nuclear weapons An immediate risk. Russia’s refusal to attend the summit can undermine efforts to ensure nuclear security.
Analysts are also worried that it would be difficult to have a US-led international mechanism like the nuclear security summit after US President Barack Obama ends his term of office.
