DYB2011-Part-II-web

Regional disarmament
importance of the observance of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons, the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone, and
cooperation on the peaceful use of nuclear energy and of outer space.
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
The Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone
(SEANWFZ) was signed in 1995 and entered into force in 1997. Since then,
steady progress has been made in implementing the Treaty and its Plan of
Action, including accession to the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) safeguards agreements and related instruments by States parties to
the SEANWFZ Treaty. New developments in 2011 included Indonesia’s
ratification of the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management
and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management38 in April; the admission
of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic into the IAEA in September; and
Indonesia’s ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty in
December.
At the IAEA Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety on 21 June in
Vienna, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Malaysia delivered a statement39 on
behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). He recognized
the need to promote universal adherence to the international framework on
nuclear safety and emergency preparedness and response in the development
of civilian nuclear energy. He also emphasized that ASEAN member States
were committed to creating an appropriate nuclear safety infrastructure based
on IAEA safety standards and guidance.
Significant progress took place in 2011 in renewing consultations
between the 10 SEANWFZ Treaty States parties, which are now also member
States of ASEAN, and the 5 nuclear-weapon States (NWS) towards enabling
the NWS to sign the Protocol to the SEANWFZ Treaty as soon as possible.
Building upon the progress made during informal direct consultations in
Geneva and New York in August and October, respectively, the representatives
of the SEANWFZ Executive Committee and of the NWS, who met on
15 November in Bali, were able to conclude negotiations on the outstanding
issues related to the SEANWFZ Treaty and its Protocol. This development
will be followed up by efforts towards the signing of the SEANWFZ Protocol
by the NWS in July 2012.
The third ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Inter-Sessional Meeting
on Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, held in Las Vegas from 23 to
25 February, addressed international cooperation in the disarmament of
nuclear, chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction. Further
38 IAEA, document INFCIRC/546. Available from http://www.iaea.org/Publications/
Documents/Infcircs/1997/infcirc546.pdf (accessed 14 June 2012).
39 Available from http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Meetings/PDFplus/2011/cn200/plenary/p_
d2_malaysia.pdf (accessed 14 June 2012).
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