ICTP and Nuclear Security

ICTP and its UN partner the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) have announced plans to hold an "International School on Nuclear
Security" at the Centre's Trieste campus next year.

The announcement comes on the heels of US President Obama's Nuclear
Summit, where a number of nations pledged their support to strengthen
global nuclear security. Italy, ICTP's chief sponsor, included the
Trieste school amongst its nuclear security action plans.

The ICTP-IAEA International School on Nuclear Security will train
nuclear personnel from developing countries, providing them with the
knowledge they need to meet obligations under the international nuclear
security legal framework. Participants will learn how to identify and
remedy threats against nuclear security by using radiation detection
strategies and advanced isotopic analysis. They will also learn how to
respond to incidents involving nuclear and other radioactive material.

"Nuclear security experts and scientists can play an essential role in
fostering national nuclear security cultures and creating awareness of
the need for nuclear security at the national level," said ICTP Director
Fernando Quevedo.

ICTP actively supports a number of educational activities geared towards
building competence in developing countries. It currently hosts several
IAEA schools, such as the School of Nuclear Knowledge Management, which
has been successfully conducted at ICTP for the past six years.

ICTP's Assistant Director Claudio Tuniz, who organizes the joint
ICTP/IAEA schools, explained that the new International School on
Nuclear Security will complement these efforts, but will be more
focussed in scope and geared towards building competence in nuclear
security in developing countries. "Cooperation between IAEA and ICTP in
this subject area will break new ground and will hopefully form the base
for future developments," he said.