Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism

The Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism is an international agreement spearheaded by Ambassador Robert Joseph of the United States and Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Ivanovich Kislyak under which countries agreed to a Statement of Principles and a Terms of Reference for Implementation and Assessment on 30 - 31, October 2006. The International Atomic Energy Agency is invited to serve as an observer to the Initiative.

Overview

It is intended to prevent terrorists from sourcing and using a nuclear bomb by employing many measures to protect fissile material and nuclear stockpiles.

In a speech by Barack Obama at Prague on 5 April 2009, he described his aims for a world free of nuclear weapons and cited how the Proliferation Security Initiative and the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism would both play an important part, with a "Global Summit on Nuclear Security".

Goals
Bring together experience and expertise from the nonproliferation, counter proliferation, and counterterrorism disciplines.
Integrate collective capabilities and resources to strengthen the overall global architecture to combat nuclear terrorism.
Provide the opportunity for nations to share information and expertise in a legally non-binding environment.

Priciples
Develop, if necessary, and improve accounting, control and physical protection systems for nuclear and other radioactive materials and substances.
Enhance security of civilian nuclear facilities.
Improve the ability to detect nuclear and other radioactive materials and substances in order to prevent illicit trafficking in such materials and substances, to include cooperation in the research and development of national detection capabilities that would be interoperable.
Improve capabilities of participants to search for, confiscate, and establish safe control over unlawfully held nuclear or other radioactive materials and substances or devices using them.
Prevent the provision of safe haven to terrorists and financial or economic resources to terrorists seeking to acquire or use nuclear and other radioactive materials and substances.
Ensure adequate respective national legal and regulatory frameworks sufficient to provide for the implementation of appropriate criminal and, if applicable, civil liability for terrorists and those who facilitate acts of nuclear terrorism.
Improve capabilities of participants for response, mitigation, and investigation, in cases of terrorist attacks involving the use of nuclear and other radioactive materials and substances, including the development of technical means to identify nuclear and other radioactive materials and substances that are, or may be, involved in the incident.
Promote information sharing pertaining to the suppression of acts of nuclear terrorism and their facilitation, taking appropriate measures consistent with their national law and international obligations to protect the confidentiality of any information which they exchange in confidence.

Current Partner Nations
1. Afghanistan
2. Albania
3. Armenia
4. Australia
5. Austria
6. Bahrain
7. Belgium
8. Bosnia
9. Bulgaria
10. Cambodia
11. Canada
12. Cape Verde
13. Chile
14. China
15. Côte d'Ivoire
16. Croatia
17. Cyprus
18. Czech Republic
19. Denmark
20. Estonia
21. Finland
22. France
23. Georgia
24. Germany
25. Greece 
26. Hungary
27. Iceland
28. India
29. Ireland
30. Israel
31. Italy
32. Japan
33. Jordan
34. Kazakhstan
35. Kyrgyzstan
36. Latvia
37. Libya
38. Lithuania
39. Luxembourg
40. Madagascar
41. Malta
42. Mauritius
43. Montenegro
44. Morocco
45. Nepal
46. Netherlands
47. New Zealand
48. Norway
49. Pakistan
50. Palau 
51. Panama
52. Poland
53. Portugal
54. South Korea
55. Macedonia
56. Romania
57. Russia
58. Saudi Arabia
59. Serbia
60. Seychelles
61. Slovakia
62. Slovenia
63. Spain
64. Sri Lanka
65. Sweden
66. Switzerland
67. Tajikistan
68. Turkey
69. Turkmenistan
70. Ukraine
71. United Arab Emirates
72. United Kingdom
73. United States
74. Uzbekistan
75. Zambia
76. IAEA (Observer status)
77. EU (Observer status)