Conference to Consider and Adopt Proposed Amendments to theConvention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material

1. The Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material was opened for signature on 3 March 1980, and pursuant to Article 19, paragraph 1 thereof, the Convention entered into force on 8 February 1987, i.e. on the thirtieth day following the deposit of the twenty-first instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval with the Director General. As of 1 April 2005, there are 111 Parties and 45 Signatories to the Convention (see Status List).

2. The present Convention is the only international legally binding undertaking in the area of physical protection of nuclear material. The scope of the present Convention is twofold: it applies to nuclear material used for peaceful purposes while in international nuclear transport, and it contains some additional provisions related to nuclear material used for peaceful purposes while in domestic use, storage and transport. The Convention obliges States Parties to ensure protection at the levels specified in the Convention of nuclear material used for peaceful purposes on their territories, or on board a ship or aircraft during international nuclear transport. States Parties further commit themselves not to undertake, or authorize the undertaking of, such international nuclear transport unless assurances are provided that nuclear material will be protected at the required levels. States Parties must also apply the agreed levels of protection to nuclear material which, during transit from one part of their territory to another, will pass through international waters or airspace. The Convention also establishes measures related to the prevention, detection and punishment of offences relating to nuclear material.

B. Efforts to strengthen the Convention

Open-ended Group of Legal and Technical Experts to prepare a draft amendment of the Convention (the Group of Experts)

3. The Director General convened in 2001 a Group of Experts to prepare a draft amendment aimed at strengthening the Convention.

4. On 14 March 2003, the Group completed its task for which it was established and adopted by consensus its Final Report, which sets out possible amendments to be made to the convention and submitted it to the Director General.

Amendments proposed by the Government of Austria and 24 co-sponsoring States and convening of the Conference to consider the proposed amendments [Back to Index]

5. At the request of the Government of Austria and 24 co-sponsoring States, the Director General of the IAEA circulated to all States Parties on 5 July 2004, proposed amendments to the Convention (the Basic Proposal contained in document CPPNM/AC/L.1/1), which would extend the scope of the present Convention to cover, also the physical protection of nuclear material used for peaceful purposes, in domestic use, storage and transport and the physical protection of nuclear material and nuclear facilities used for peaceful purposes against sabotage. At the same time, the Director General requested confirmation as to whether he should as depositary, call for a diplomatic conference to consider the proposed amendments.

6. On 3 February 2005, the Director General informed States Parties that in accordance with Article 20, paragraph 1 of the Convention, the majority of States Parties requesting him to convene a Conference to consider the proposed amendments to the Convention was reached on 19 January 2005.

7. Accordingly, and pursuant to Article 20, paragraph 1 of the Convention, the Director General on 3 February 2005 invited all States Parties to participate in a Conference to consider and adopt proposed amendments to the Convention.

Preparatory Meeting for the Conference

8. In preparation for the Conference, a meeting was held at the Agency’s Headquarters, Vienna, Austria from 4 to 7 April 2005, which was attended by 58 States Parties to the Convention (including EURATOM). The meeting discussed, inter alia, the Provisional Rules of Procedure for the Conference, the Provisional Agenda of the Conference and its officers (see Report of the Preparatory Meeting for the Conference, Annex 1 and Annex 2 (in English only)).

Amendments adopted by the Conference

9. Under Article 20, paragraph 1 of the Convention, any amendments adopted by the Conference by a two-thirds majority will be circulated by the Director General to all States Parties. Further, the amendments adopted by the Conference will enter into force for each State Party that deposits its instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval of the amendments on the thirtieth day after the date on which two thirds of the States Parties have deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance or approval with the depositary. Thereafter, the amendment shall enter into force for any other State Party on the day on which that State Party deposits its instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval of the amendment.

10. Recognising the importance of the proposal circulated by the Secretariat in a Note Verbale of 25 January 2005 (the proposal contained in document CPPNM/AC/L.1/2), the meeting agreed to introduce a new Agenda item 7 in the Provisional Agenda of the Conference on “Introduction of the proposed amendments to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material”. Under this Agenda item the Basic Proposal (see paragraph 5 above) as well as the proposal circulated by the Secretariat in the Note Verbale dated 25 January 2005 would be introduced. Thereafter, should the Conference so decide, the proposal circulated on 25 January 2005 would be incorporated into the Basic Proposal.

C. Advance Information for Delegations attending the Conference [Back to Index]

Credentials of Delegates

11. The head of delegation (but not delegation members) will require credentials specifically for the Conference, regardless of whether accreditation already exists in another capacity, e.g. as Governor or Resident Representative. Credentials shall be issued either by the Head of State or Government or by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the State Party concerned.

12. Credentials of each delegate shall be submitted to the Director General if possible not less than seven days in advance of the Conference. As per the Provisional Rules of Procedure of the Conference, ‘the credentials of all delegates shall be examined by the Secretary General of the Conference who shall submit a report thereon to the Bureau established under Rule 14. Thereafter, the Bureau shall report to the Conference’. When copies of credentials have been submitted in advance of the Conference, originals of the credentials should be handed over to the Credentials Officer, Mr. A. Wetherall, Legal Officer, Office of Legal Affairs, IAEA (see below for further contact information), no later than at the start of the Conference.

Observers at the Conference

States not Party to the Convention

13. In accordance with Rule 6 of the Provisional Rules of Procedure of the Conference, any State not a Party to the Convention shall be invited to attend the Conference as observer and to participate without the right to vote in the deliberations of the Plenary. Such States may attend the Committee of the Whole and may only make oral statements at the invitation of the presiding officer and with the consent of the Committee.

Representatives of the United Nations, the specialized agencies, the IAEA and of other intergovernmental organizations

14. In accordance with Rule 7.1 of the Provisional Rules of Procedure of the Conference, Representatives of the United Nations, the specialized agencies and the IAEA shall be invited to attend the Conference as observers and to participate without the right to vote in the deliberations of the Plenary.

15. In accordance with Rule 7.2 of the Provisional Rules of Procedure of the Conference, representatives of other intergovernmental organizations invited to regular sessions of the General Conference of the IAEA shall be invited upon their request to participate without the right to vote in the deliberations of the Plenary.

Non-governmental organizations

16. In accordance with Rule 8 of the Provisional Rules of Procedure of the Conference, any request received from a non-governmental organization invited to attend regular sessions of the General Conference of the IAEA as observer, shall be referred by the Secretary General to the Conference for its decision.

Working Languages and Interpretation of the Conference [Back to Index]

17. In accordance with Rule 50 of the Provisional Rules of Procedure for the Conference, Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish shall be the official and the working languages of the Conference in Plenary, in the Committee of the Whole and in the Drafting Committee.

Notification of the Composition of Delegations

18. Participants in the Conference are required to register for the Conference. Note, however, that due to a technical error online registration for the CPPNM Amendment Conference through the IAEA Internet Registration form has been changed. Delegations are therefore kindly requested to register, or re-register if initial registration was on-line, for the Conference either via the new on-line registration form, or by e-mail or fax using the registration form. Registrations should be forwarded to the IAEA Conference Services Section attn: Ms. C. Vilaplana, e-mail: C.Vilaplana@iaea.org or Ms. M. Obauer, e-mail: M.Obauer@iaea.org; fax number (+43 1) 2600-29325.

19. The “List of Participants” of the Conference will be automatically created from the information entered into the online registration form. It is expected that all participants be registered using the online form. If it is not possible to register online due to lack of access to the Internet, a communication to that effect should be sent to the IAEA Conference Services Section with a request for printed forms, which would be sent out via e-mail or fax.

Registration contact persons (see below for further contact information):

Ms. C. Vilaplana, e-mail: C.Vilaplana@iaea.org
Ms. M. Obauer, e-mail: M.Obauer@iaea.org

20. The names of the participants should be submitted at the latest by 15 June 2005 in order to have them included in the first edition of the “List of Participants”. Any changes in the composition of a delegation should be updated immediately online.

Registration for Badges

21. Each participant will require a badge with a photograph for entry into the Austria Center Vienna (ACV) during the session. Badges will be issued by the staff at the Registration Desk to those designated participants who are not already in possession of a valid VIC grounds pass. Badges issued for the ACV will also be valid for entering the Vienna International Centre (VIC). Participants may register on Sunday, 3 July 2005, between 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at the Austria Center Vienna (ACV), Entrance Blue Level, U2 and on Monday morning starting at 8:00 a.m. in the same location.

Opening and Venue of the Conference [Back to Index]

22. The Conference will open at 10.00hrs on Monday 4 July 2005. The Conference will take place at the ACV, Bruno Kreisky Platz, 1220 Vienna, next to the VIC.

Visa Applications

23. Should a visa be required for entering Austria it advisable to contact the nearest consular representative of Austria as early as possible. Please note that Austria is a Schengen State and therefore persons who require a visa will have to apply for a “Schengen visa” at least 2-3 weeks before entry into Austria. In States where Austria has no diplomatic mission visas can be obtained from the consular authority of a Schengen Partner State representing Austria in the country in question. Only in exceptional cases is the Agency able to assist participants who encounter difficulties in obtaining a visa. In this regard all necessary information (date of birth, nationality, type of passport, passport number, issuance and validity of the passport, length of stay, arrival date, flight details and a short description of the problem encountered) should be sent to reach the Agency at the latest three weeks before the meeting. After that date the Agency will not be able to assist you due to Schengen regulations.

Documents

24. Before the opening of the session, one complete set of the Conference documents already issued will be made available on request to each delegation. All documents produced during the session, including the Conference Journal containing the daily programme, and other notices will also be available at the Documents Station in the ACV. Delegates wishing to submit draft resolutions or other documents to the Conference during the session are requested to provide the Conference Secretary or the appropriate Committee Secretary with the text as early as possible.

Parking

25. Parking facilities will be available on parking deck 2 (yellow level) or 3 (red level) of the ACV. For official cars with chauffeurs, red stickers entitling the cars to be driven to the main entrance of level U2 (blue level) of the ACV will be issued at the Registration Desk. For other cars, Delegates are requested upon arrival to take a parking ticket from the ACV parking dispenser. This ticket should then be exchanged for a long-term, cost-free permit at the Registration Desk.

E-Mail Service [Back to Index]

26. Computers will be available so that delegates may send and receive e-mail messages using their individual e-mail address. Delegates with own laptops with wireless capacity will be able to utilize the wireless access to internet service during the Conference.

IAEA Financial Assistance for attending the Conference

27. To assist the participation of States Parties in the Conference, limited financial support is available. Requests for financial assistance should be submitted to the Secretariat without delay so as to enable it to make the necessary arrangements. Note that due to a technical error, online application for financial support has been changed. Delegations are therefore kindly requested to apply for financial support to attend the Conference, via the new on-line registration form, or by e-mail or fax using the grant application form. Applications should be forwarded to the IAEA Conference Services Section attn: Ms. C. Vilaplana, e-mail: C.Vilaplana@iaea.org or Ms. M. Obauer, e-mail: M.Obauer@iaea.org; fax number (+43 1) 2600-29325.

Further information

Administration and organization:
Division of Conference and Document Services
Conference Service Section
IAEA-CN-83
International Atomic Energy Agency
P.O. Box 100
Wagramer Strasse 5
A-1400 Vienna, Austria

Ms. C. Vilaplana

Telephone No.: (+43 1) 2600 21324
Telefax No.: (+43 1) 2600 7
E-mail: C.Vilaplana@iaea.org

Ms. M. Obauer

Telephone No.: (+43 1) 2600 21323
Telefax No.: (+43 1) 2600 7
E-mail: M.Obauer@iaea.org

Credentials:
Office of Legal Affairs
International Atomic Energy Agency
P.O. Box 100
Wagramer Strasse 5
A-1400 Vienna, Austria

Mr. A. Wetherall

Telephone No.: (+43 1) 2600 21266 or 21502
Telefax No.: (+43 1) 2600 7
E-mail: A.Wetherall@iaea.org

[Back to Index]