2012 Nuclear Security Summit

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2012 Nuclear Security Summit
Dmitry Medvedev in South Korea, March 2012-21.jpeg
Host countryFlag of South Korea.svg  South Korea
DateMarch 26–27, 2012
Venue(s) COEX Convention & Exhibition Center
Cities Seoul
Participants58 representatives
Follows 2010 Nuclear Security Summit
Precedes 2014 Nuclear Security Summit
Website thenuclearsecuritysummit.org
2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit Plenary 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit Plenary.jpg
2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit Plenary

The 2012 Nuclear Security Summit was a summit held at the COEX Convention & Exhibition Center in Seoul, South Korea, [1] on March 26 and 27, 2012. [2] It was the second time the conference was held after the 2010 Nuclear Security Summit.

Contents

The summit series discusses international cooperative measures to protect nuclear materials and facilities from terrorist groups. Fifty-eight world leaders from 53 states and four international organizations, including the United Nations, International Atomic Energy Agency, the European Union and INTERPOL, participated. The main issues discussed were: [3]

At the summit, the leaders discussed nuclear terrorism threats and nuclear security preparedness. They also reviewed the implementation of agreements and voluntary commitments. Then the leaders focused on major nuclear security issues, mostly brought up at the Washington summit, such as the minimization and management of highly enriched uranium, ratification of nuclear security conventions, strengthening information and transportation security, IAEA’s role, preventing illicit nuclear trafficking, nuclear security culture, and international cooperation and assistance.

In the aftermath of the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, Korea added a new issues of radiological security and the nuclear security-safety interface to the agenda from the natural disasters since World War II (1939-45) and Korean War (1950-53). The Washington summit had focused on nuclear terrorism with explosive nuclear devices, perceiving that as the biggest threat to international security after 9/11 attacks in New York City in 2001, 3/11 train bombings in Madrid in 2004, and 7/7 bombings in London in 2005. The 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security summit also discussed protection against dirty bombs and the sabotage of nuclear facilities.

Some states opposed the two new items, saying that they would dilute the focus of the summit. [4]

Background

The first Nuclear Security Summit was held in Washington D.C., U.S.A. on April 12-13, 2010. U.S. President Barack Obama, who proposed the Nuclear Security Summit in his April 2009 Prague speech, invited 47 heads of government and heads of states and three representatives of international organizations. In the Prague speech, President Obama announced his vision for a ‘world without nuclear weapons’ and proposed nuclear security as one of three strategic goals for this vision together with nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation. President Obama also announced a nuclear security goal to secure all vulnerable nuclear materials around the world in four years.

During the Washington summit, Korea was proposed as the second summit host by President Obama, which was accepted. [5]

Participants

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Host state (South Korea)
Participating states
First-time participating states
Azerbaijan
Denmark
Gabon
Hungary
Lithuania
Romania
European Union states represented by the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission only 2012 Nuclear Summit.PNG
  Host state (South Korea)
  Participating states
  
First-time participating states
  • Azerbaijan
  • Denmark
  • Gabon
  • Hungary
  • Lithuania
  • Romania
  European Union states represented by the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission only
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak speaks to the media during a press conference after the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit at the Convention and Exhibition Center (COEX) in Seoul, South Korea, 27 March 2012. 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Chair's Press Conference.jpg
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak speaks to the media during a press conference after the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit at the Convention and Exhibition Center (COEX) in Seoul, South Korea, 27 March 2012.
Barack Obama talks with President Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine President Barack Obama talks with President Viktor Yanukovych (cropped).jpg
Barack Obama talks with President Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine
Barack Obama, Nursultan Nazarbayev and Dmitry Medvedev, 2012. Dmitry Medvedev in South Korea, March 2012-15.jpeg
Barack Obama, Nursultan Nazarbayev and Dmitry Medvedev, 2012.
Country/OrganizationRepresentative(s)
Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria Abdelaziz Bouteflika (President)
Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina Hector Timerman (Minister of Foreign Affairs)
Flag of Armenia.svg  Armenia Serzh Sargsyan (President)
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia Julia Gillard (Prime Minister)
Flag of Azerbaijan.svg  Azerbaijan [6] Ilham Aliyev (President)
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium Joëlle Milquet (Deputy Prime Minister)
Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil Michel Temer (Vice President)
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Stephen Harper (Prime Minister)
Flag of Chile.svg  Chile Sebastián Piñera (President)
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China Hu Jintao (President)
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic Václav Klaus (President)
Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark [6] Helle Thorning-Schmidt (Prime Minister)
Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt Mohamed Hussein Tantawi (Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces of Egypt)
Flag of Europe.svg  European Union [6] Herman Van Rompuy (President of the European Council)
José Manuel Barroso (President of the European Commission)
Flag of Finland.svg  Finland Sauli Niinistö (President)
Flag of France.svg  France Francois Fillon (Prime Minister)
Flag of Gabon.svg  Gabon [6] Ali Bongo Ondimba (President)
Flag of Georgia.svg  Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili (President)
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany Guido Westerwelle (Minister for Foreign Affairs)
Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary [6] Pál Schmitt (President)
Flag of India.svg  India Manmohan Singh (Prime Minister)
Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (President)
Flag of IAEA.svg  International Atomic Energy Agency Yukiya Amano (Director-General)
Interpol [6] Ronald Noble [7] (Secretary General)
Flag of Israel.svg Israel Dan Meridor (Deputy Prime Minister and Intelligence Services Minister)
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Mario Monti (Prime Minister)
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan Yoshihiko Noda (Prime Minister)
Flag of Jordan.svg Jordan Abdullah II (King)
Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev (President)
Flag of Lithuania.svg  Lithuania [6] Dalia Grybauskaitė (President)
Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia Najib Tun Razak (Prime Minister)
Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico Felipe Calderón (President)
Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco Saâdeddine El Othmani (Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation)
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands Uri Rosenthal [8] (Minister of Foreign Affairs)
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand John Key (Prime Minister)
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan (President)
Flag of Norway.svg  Norway Jens Stoltenberg (Prime Minister)
Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan Raja Pervaiz Ashraf (Prime Minister)
Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines Jejomar Binay (Vice President)
Flag of Poland.svg  Poland Marcin Korolec [8] (Minister of Environment)
Flag of Romania.svg  Romania [6] Traian Băsescu (President)
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Dmitry Medvedev (President)
Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia Hashim bin Abdullah Yamani (President of KACARE)
Flag of Singapore.svg  Singapore Lee Hsien Loong (Prime Minister)
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa Jacob Zuma (President)
Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea (host) Lee Myung-bak (President)
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain Mariano Rajoy (Prime Minister)
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Fredrik Reinfeldt (Prime Minister)
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland Didier Burkhalter (Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs)
Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand Yingluck Shinawatra (Prime Minister)
Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (Prime Minister)
Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych (President)
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg United Arab Emirates Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi)
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Nick Clegg (Deputy Prime Minister)
Flag of the United Nations.svg  United Nations Ban Ki-moon (Secretary-General)
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Barack Obama (President)
Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam Nguyễn Tấn Dũng (Prime Minister)

Schedule and agenda

After a reception, on March 27 there was a Morning Session, a Working Luncheon and an Afternoon Session.

The agenda for each session was as follows:

1. March 26 (Monday) -Working Dinner : Review of the Progress Made Since the 2010 Washington Summit 2. March 27 (Tuesday) -Plenary Session I : National Measures and International Cooperation to Enhance Nuclear Security, including Future Commitments -Working Lunch : Nuclear Security-Safety Interface -Plenary Session II : National Measures and International Cooperation to Enhance Nuclear Security, including Future Commitments (cont.). [9]

Seoul Communiqué

The Seoul Communiqué built on the objectives and measures set out in the 2010 Washington Communiqué to identify 11 areas of priority and importance in nuclear security and presents specific actions in each area.

The 11 areas are as follows: the global nuclear security architecture; the role of the IAEA; nuclear materials; radioactive sources; nuclear security and safety; transportation security; combating illicit trafficking; nuclear forensics; nuclear security culture; information security; and international cooperation.

The Seoul Communiqué sets out the following specific actions in the above 11 areas: [10]

The Seoul Communiqué provides important timelines for advancing nuclear security objectives, such as the target year (end of 2013) for states to announce voluntary actions on minimizing the use of HEU and the goal year (2014) for bringing the amended CPPNM into effect. It reflects the need to address both the issues of nuclear security and nuclear safety in a coherent manner for the sustainable peaceful uses of nuclear energy. It also emphasizes the need to better secure spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste. It also sets out specific measures to prevent radiological terrorism, an issue only briefly touched upon at the Washington Summit.

See also

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References

  1. "Seoul Nuclear Security Summit Gets Underway Monday" Chosun Ilbo. 26 March 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-26
  2. "Obama's Opening Remarks," New York Times. April 13, 2010.
  3. "Overview of 2012 summit". Nuclear Security Summit. 27 March 2012. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  4. "Korea's contribution to the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit". The Korea Herald . 28 March 2011. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  5. "Korea’s contribution to the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit" The Korea Herald. 28 March 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Key Facts on the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit". Nuclear Security Summit. 28 March 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  7. "Remarks by Interpol Secretary General at 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit". Nuclear Security Summit. 27 March 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  8. 1 2 "The Head of Delegations from the Netherlands and Poland to the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit Changed". Nuclear Security Summit. 24 March 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  9. "Schedule of 2012 summit". Nuclear Security Summit. 27 March 2012. Archived from the original on 1 July 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  10. "Seoul Communiqué". Nuclear Security Summit. 27 March 2012. Archived from the original on 1 July 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012.