DYB2011-Part-II-web

United Nations Disarmament Yearbook 2011: Part II
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focused on strengthening nuclear safety and security, especially in the
light of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, and on
building high-level political support and momentum for further strengthening
international efforts in this connection.
In his statement, 48 the Secretary-General stressed the need to focus on
the nexus between safety and security, in order to ensure that any deliberate
attack against nuclear facilities or nuclear materials would not have
catastrophic consequences. As the depositary of the International Convention
for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, the Secretary-General
reiterated his invitation to States that were not yet parties to the Convention
to join the treaty and further called upon the States parties to consider ways to
promote the ratification and implementation of the Convention in 2012, which
would mark the fifth year of its entry into force. Participants to the High-level
Meeting expressed heightened interest in addressing the nexus between
nuclear safety and security, as well as in taking account of the lessons learned
from the Fukushima accident regarding the potential vulnerabilities of nuclear
power plants.
In August, the Working Group on Preventing and Responding to
Weapons of Mass Destruction Attacks, which operates under the Counter-
Terrorism Implementation Task Force and supports the implementation of
the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, 49 published a report
entitled “Interagency Coordination in the Event of a Terrorist Attack Using
Chemical or Biological Weapons or Materials”. 50
This report complemented that of the Working Group of 2010 on
inter-agency coordination in the event of a terrorist attack using nuclear
or radiological materials. The 2011 report included key findings and
recommendations addressing the prevention and preparedness, as well as the
actions of the United Nations and other international entities, in response
to terrorist attacks using chemical or biological weapons or materials.
It concluded that “while no one agency is responsible for preparing or
responding to a terrorist attack using chemical or biological weapons, there
are a number of United Nations entities and international organizations that
address specific aspects of the threat”.
In resolution 66/50 of 2 December 2011 (see also appendix VIII), the
General Assembly expressed deep concern over “the growing risk of linkages
between terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, and in particular by the
48 Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General, remarks to the opening session of the
High-level Meeting on Nuclear Safety and Security, New York, 22 September 2011.
Available from http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocus/sgspeeches/search_full.asp?statID=1312
(accessed 18 May 2012).
49 General Assembly resolution 60/288 of 8 September 2006.
50 Available from http://www.un.org/en/terrorism/ctitf/pdfs/ctitf_wmd_working_group_report_
interagency_2011.pdf (accessed 20 January 2012).