I congratulate the Government of the Republic of Korea for hosting this Summit. Mr. President, I salute your focus on the nexus of nuclear safety and security.
In the last year, I travelled to Fukushima. I visited Chernobyl.
Those tragedies sent a clear and urgent message: A nuclear accident can have consequences similar to a nuclear attack.
This point was emphasized at the high-level meeting on nuclear safety and security that I convened last year. I am glad that that gathering served as a bridge to this summit.
Today, I would like to set out five areas for collective action.
First, bold steps to bridge the trust gap.
Determining the appropriate energy mix is a decision of sovereign states. But nuclear safety and security is a global public good. The general public has a right to know.
Governments and the nuclear industry must heed the growing demands for greater transparency, accountability and access to impartial information. Nuclear power plants must be prepared to withstand everything from earthquakes to tsunamis, from fires to floods to acts of terrorism.
Rebuilding trust is even more significant as nuclear power will continue to be an important resource for many nations in the years to come.
Second, emergency response, disaster risk reduction and resilience building.
Disaster risk reduction and preparedness for nuclear accidents featured prominently in the UN system-wide post-Fukushima study and at the Third Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Let us utilize the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development to deepen our commitment. We can reduce vulnerability to risks from natural and man-made disasters and strengthen resilience in the face of such disasters. Member States have put disaster risk reduction and resilience squarely on the Rio+20 agenda and are calling for its integration into a future sustainable development agenda.
Third, boosting the role of the United Nations.
We are working through the Security Council and its 1540 Committee – and seeking greater action from the General Assembly and its United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation.
The UN is also strengthening the link between the international humanitarian coordination system and the international radiation emergency response framework. We are establishing the Environmental Emergencies Centre to fortify emergency preparedness and responses. The centre will help countries in preparing for and responding to industrial and technological accidents, as well as the environmental impacts of natural disasters and complex emergencies.
Fourth, a stronger partnership with the nuclear industry and civil society.
I am pleased that the Korean Government and others organized the Seoul Nuclear Industry Summit and the Nuclear Security Symposium.
At the Nuclear Industry Summit, participants emphasized dealing with nuclear security and safety in a coordinated manner and identified new areas of focus, including cyber threats.
At the Nuclear Security Symposium, I sent a message stressing the importance of a holistic view of nuclear safety, nuclear security, nuclear disarmament, and nuclear non-proliferation.
We must seek to integrate the recommendations of these two vital meetings in our work.
Fifth, lastly, progress on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
Achieving an accurate accounting of all fissile material stocks, including historical production, remains an urgent priority.
Despite intense efforts, the Conference on Disarmament has not begun negotiations on a treaty banning the production of fissile material for use in nuclear weapons. This is unfortunate.
I support all efforts to carry forward negotiations and revitalize the Conference on Disarmament.
The Final Document of the 2010 NPT Review Conference recognized the importance of addressing nuclear safety and nuclear security issues associated with nuclear energy and encouraged State parties to promote the sharing of best practices in these areas.
I have proposed that the First Preparatory Committee of the 2015 NPT Review Conference devote specific time to consider these issues.
The prospect of nuclear terrorism threatens international security. We are united in our resolve to defuse this threat.
As we reflect on our progress since the Washington Summit, I would like to suggest five focus areas.
First, consolidating the global nuclear security architecture through universal adherence to international instruments and a rigorous review mechanism.
The United Nations is the universal forum for preventing terrorists from using or acquiring nuclear weapons. This fall, I will convene a high-level event to help strengthen the legal framework on preventing nuclear terrorism.
Ongoing support for the implementation of Security Council resolution 1540 (2004) is also essential. So, too, is ensuring sufficient resources for the IAEA to fulfil its central role.
Second, curbing terrorism financing.
I warmly welcome the participation of Interpol at this summit, given the significance of customs and law enforcement.
The Security Council is placing greater emphasis on targeted financial sanctions – and it is working. The Nuclear Security Summit process should strengthen its efforts as well.
Third, asserting more stringent control over fissile materials.
There has been some progress, but let us be clear: the world needs a verifiable and legally binding fissile material cut-off treaty.
The current stalemate in the Conference on Disarmament is unacceptable. I call again on the members of the CD to immediately commence negotiations on a treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons.
The relevance of the CD is at stake. If the stalemate is not resolved during the 2012 CD session, the international community must explore alternative avenues.
Fourth, strengthening the nexus between nuclear security and nuclear safety, as recognized in the Seoul Communiqué, and as we have discussed at length during luncheon time.
I have proposed that the First Preparatory Committee of the 2015 NPT Review Conference devote specific time to consider nuclear safety and security issues associated with nuclear energy.
Building stronger partnerships with the nuclear industry, academia and civil society is also important.
Fifth, taking forward the Nuclear Security Summit process.
I welcome this Summit’s reaffirmation of our shared goals of nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and I call for the full implementation of commitments undertaken.
The entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty is long overdue. I welcome Indonesia’s recent ratification and urge others who have not done so to follow suit without further delay.
The best way to eliminate the nuclear threat anywhere is by eliminating nuclear weapons everywhere.
I also welcome discussions on the post-2014 future of this Nuclear Security Summit process.
The 2009 Security Council Summit hosted by President Obama was historic – and it should not be a one-time event. I invite Security Council members to seriously consider follow-up at this year’s opening of the General Assembly.
Before concluding, as was raised by some leaders during this meeting, I would like to stress the importance of fully complying with Security Council resolutions dealing with nuclear programmes and associated concerns about delivery means. In this regard, as Secretary-General, I remain concerned at the continued non-compliance of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Islamic Republic of Iran with the relevant Security Council resolutions concerning their nuclear programmes. I urge the DPRK and Iran to do their utmost to address the international community’s concerns in a peaceful manner and to refrain from any destabilizing acts.
As I have been saying in recent days many times publicly, the DPRK’s announcement to launch a so-called “application satellite” next month runs counter to Security Council resolution 1874 [2009], which bans “any launch using ballistic missile technology.” I urge the DPRK to reconsider.
***REMARKS AT THE SEOUL NUCLEAR SECURITY SUMMIT
Plenary Statement
Seoul, 27 March 2012
AS DELIVERED