In recent years, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) International Conference on Nuclear Security (ICONS) has become a key event for the nuclear security community around the world. Organised once every four years, ICONS brings together ministers, senior government officials, high-level staff and all relevant partners managing nuclear security, and technical and legal experts working in all areas of this important field.
This year’s ICONS 2024 was dedicated to “Shaping the Future”, which sets the priorities and guidelines for all involved stakeholders in making policy in nuclear security. Approximately, over 2400 registered participants attended the IAEA Conference, hosted in Vienna from 20 to 24 May 2024.
A Prosecutor’s Guide to Radiological and Nuclear Crimes
On the side-lines of ICONS 2024, the European Union (EU) and United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) presented the recently launched ‘A Prosecutor’s Guide to Radiological and Nuclear Crimes’, a high-level publication aimed at increasing awareness and the skills needed to investigate and prosecute radiological and nuclear crimes. Around fifty participants attending ICONS 2024 participated in the Guidebook presentation, held on 21 May 2024.
Funded by the European Union within the framework of the EU CBRN Centres of Excellence, the Guidebook covers a wide spectrum of key elements necessary to bring a radiological or nuclear crime from the crime scene to the courtroom
This Guide aims to provide police, prosecutors, and relevant investigative agencies with guidance to support the successful prosecution of incidents involving the deliberate acquisition, stockpiling, production, transfers, or use of radiological or nuclear agents.
Developed by UNICRI with EU CBRN CoE support, it is the second in a series of CBRN forensics guidebooks aimed to advance guidance on policies, recommendations and best practices to enforce and build up forensics capabilities in the domain.
Developed by UNICRI, in close cooperation with relevant partner international organisations and subject matter experts, the guide includes practical tips, lessons learned, and best practices derived from real criminal case examples, serving as useful precedents. Step-by-step recommendations for the successful investigation and prosecution of radiological and nuclear crimes are integral parts of the Guide.
“This new publication will support state authorities in prevention-oriented investigations and lawful prosecutions of cases of illegal use of radioactive and nuclear material”, said in the event’s opening remarks Anne Kemppainen, Head of the UN Section of the European Union’s Delegation to the International Organisations in Vienna.
Partner countries to integrate Guide in national training curricula
‘A Prosecutor’s Guide to Radiological and Nuclear Crimes’ features a related capacity-building and training package to support the Guide’s implementation. With funding from the European Union, a few partner countries of the EU CBRN CoE Initiative will pilot the integration of the entire training package as part of their respective national training curricula.
“Upon completion of the pilot project, the beneficiary partner countries will strengthen their prosecution and adjudication [of radiological and nuclear crimes] capabilities with minimum efforts. This will ensure the sustainability of the initiative, guided by a ‘bottom up’ approach”, pointed Talgat Toleubayev, Regional Coordinator of the South East and Eastern Europe Regional Secretariat of the EU CBRN CoE.
A series of online webinars to raise awareness on the Guidebook will be organised across the International Association of Prosecutors’ (IAP) network, targeting 250 000-member prosecutors from 172 countries in the world
Mr. Simon Minks, the National Coordinating Advocate-General in the Netherlands, announced on behalf of the IAP
The EU-UNICRI side event ‘Prosecution and Adjudication of Radiological and Nuclear Crimes’ was organised with the active involvement of the main stakeholders involved in the development and publication of the Guide. Participants included representatives of the European Union’s Delegation to the International Organisations in Vienna, the IAEA, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), International Association of Prosecutors (IAP), UNICRI, and partner countries.
| The European Union: a key partner in strengthening nuclear security worldwide | ||
|---|---|---|
| The European Union is strongly committed to strengthening global nuclear security worldwide, as part of its goal to promote peace, stability and conflict prevention. For more than 20 years, the EU has played a key role to reduce the threat of nuclear terrorism and mitigate its potential impact within and beyond the Union’s borders. | With a unique experience in areas of great relevance to nuclear security, the EU supports Member States and partner countries in ensuring the physical protection of nuclear and radioactive materials and facilities, as well as in improving related cyber-security efforts. | As access to radiological and nuclear materials for malicious purposes remains a significant risk, the EU also devotes substantial efforts to enhance criminal justice responses to radiological and nuclear crimes. This means assisting State authorities to conduct proper prevention-oriented investigations, and lawful prosecutions of cases involving the illegal use of radioactive and nuclear materials. |
A project rooted in the EU CBRN CoE network
The ‘Prosecutors Guide to Radiological and Nuclear Crimes’ is the second in a series of CBRN forensics guidebooks aimed to advance guidance on policies, recommendations and best practices to enforce and build up forensics capabilities in the domain. The first release is the ‘Prosecutors Guide to Chemical and Biological Crimes’, published in 2022.
This Guide aims to provide police, prosecutors, and relevant investigative agencies with guidance to support the successful prosecution of incidents involving the deliberate acquisition, stockpiling, production, transfers, or use of chemical or biological agents.
Developed by UNICRI with EU CBRN CoE support, it is the first in a series of CBRN forensics guidebooks aimed to advance guidance on policies, recommendations and best practices to enforce and build up forensics capabilities in the domain.
This series of CBRN forensics guidebooks is an effort that came as a result of implementing two EU CBRN CoE projects aimed to enhance CBRN forensic capabilities across the South East and Eastern Europe region. After completion of these, UNICRI was tasked to coordinate the development of a series of guidance manuals that would support prosecutors and justice authorities to bring the criminal case from a CRBN-contaminated crime scene to the courtroom.
The two guidebooks are unique tools to provide opportunities for strengthening the knowledge, systems, and frameworks from which the EU CBRN CoE and its partners strive to support counter-crime bodies and agencies in the shared quest for justice.
Tackling radiological and nuclear risks with EU support
Despite the multitude of stringent regulatory control regimes enforced by States, unauthorized access to radiological and nuclear materials for malicious purposes remains a significant risk. This persistent threat is due to the widespread presence of radiological and nuclear materials in society and is exacerbated by negative factors such as the growing nexus between crime and terrorism, regional instabilities, uncontrolled territories, and the abundance of materials rooted in some States’ historical heritage.
The EU CBRN Centres of Excellence continues helping countries to address these risks and threats for more than fourteen years. The global network of 64 partner countries across 8 regions was created in 2010 to encourage cooperation and knowledge-sharing with EU Member States and between partner countries at regional and inter-regional levels. The Initiative is led, financed and implemented by the European Union (European Commission, in close coordination with the European External Action Service) with the support of UNICRI, and other international organisations and local experts.
Details
- Publication date
- 30 May 2024
- Authors
- Service for Foreign Policy Instruments | Joint Research Centre
- CBRN areas
- Denying support for misuse and terrorism
- First response
- Illicit trafficking
- Investigation and prosecution
- Safety and security
- CBRN categories
- Radiological
- Nuclear