Fifth Joint Conference for Participants of Nonproliferation Programs Held Online
Last year Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation of the U.S. Department of State (ISN) arranged the annual joint conference for participants of the nonproliferation programs in an online format. For three days, presentations and panel discussions were held with representatives of Office of Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism (WMDT), Nonproliferation and Disarmament Fund (NDF), Office of Export Control Cooperation (ECC) and Office of Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR). The purpose of the conference is to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, systems of their delivery and to protect critical and advanced technologies from malicious use.
According to Kathryn Insley, Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation Programs at the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation plays an important role in containing explicit and destabilizing russian behavior on the international stage. The threat of russia to a free and open international order was demonstrated by its multiple use of chemical weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine. Its reckless nuclear threats endanger the global nonproliferation regime.
ISN programs are aimed at countering deleterious role of russia in weapons of mass destruction through reducing the scale of russian activities and increasing resistance of partners to threats related to these weapons.
The priorities include the provision of Ukraine and European partners with support in the sphere of radiation, chemical, biological, nuclear protection and response, countering russian networks of chemical and biological proliferation, involvement of relocated Ukrainian scientists, strengthening of possibilities for detection of weapons of mass destruction, as well as support of energy and nuclear safety.
In addition, ISN offices developed new reliable and integrated approaches to support coalition sanctions and measures of export control imposed on russia. ISN programs ensure capacity building and development of instruments for support of political interaction with partners to join sanctions imposed on russia. These programs contribute to studies of open sources and outreach in order to exchange practical information on evasion of sanctions and measures of expert control. They also cooperate with Ukraine to track russian arms supply chains.
“Some of the efforts we are making to deter russian aggression include prevention of purchase of advanced technologies that support programs related to development of weapons of mass destruction and that violate the US sanctions and international regulations. These efforts are aimed at provision Ukraine and its Armed Forces with personal protective means to protect them against the use of russian chemical weapons, as well as involvement of Ukrainian scientists, who were forced to leave the country due to russian invasion, into peaceful research and capacity building. Next year we will continue providing Ukraine with critically important support and strengthening capacities of our other key partners in deterring russia” Kathryn Insley said.
Uatom.org Editorial Board