James Kon
The Sultanate is actively working with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on nuclear security and has been working on its nuclear legislation and strengthening its regulatory framework on radioactive materials.
This was shared by IAEA Nuclear Security Officer Andrew Prosser at the opening ceremony of the Integrated Nuclear Security Support Plan (INSSP) workshop hosted by the Safety, Health and Environment National Authority (SHENA) yesterday.
He commended the Sultanate’s efforts in strengthening nuclear security and approaching the finalisation of the country’s INSSP.
“We will undergo the finalisation meeting of INSSP in Brunei. This is an important step towards drafting the first ever INSSP for Brunei Darussalam to systematically plan out the actions taken to strengthen nuclear security including cooperation with IAEA and other international partners,” he said.
“This is a major milestone for the region where ASEAN member states would have to carry out INSSP. So there will be full coverage of INSSP among ASEAN member states, which is a great accomplishment. I am pleased that we are approaching this achievement.”
IAEA, he added, “will continue to support and work together to further strengthen nuclear security in Brunei”.
On nuclear security, he said, “It is a crucial area in which we cannot be complacent. We know the importance of safety and preventing mitigating accidents is important.
“Security is also critical. Criminals and terrorists will ultimately find and exploit vulnerabilities in the global nuclear security system if we give them a chance, and any country or part of the world will find itself being used as a transit point for illicit activity. Any country can fall victim to attack. When we talk about criminal acts involving nuclear or radioactive materials, there can be enormous consequences involving human, economic and political costs. Nuclear security is a collaborative effort and strengths of the framework globally depend on the action and commitment of stakeholders as well as international cooperation.”
The workshop, he said, “will present information such as insights from experts and case studies. We also illustrate incidents such as illicit tracking of nuclear and radioactive materials which we have heard repeatedly in the region.
“We emphasise rules of international instruments in this field namely convention on protection of nuclear materials. We will provide views on the essential elements of what it takes to establish and maintain robust national nuclear security regime”.
