The United States is working closely with Cambodiato safeguard the use and disposal of nuclear materials.
A recent international workshop on Nuclear Safeguards was sponsored by the U.S. Departmentof Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration,or DOE/NNSA, and hosted by the Cambodian Ministry of Mines and Energy and the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia, among others.
As noted by Anne Harrington, Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation in theDOE/NNSA,“The United States has long considered the international safeguards system to be acentral pillar of the nuclear nonproliferation regime's strategy for preventing the spread ofnuclear weapons.
DOE/NNSA cooperates with over 30 countries in this regard, assisting state and regional authorities to establish effective systems of nuclear accounting and control.”
During the workshop, experts from the DOE/NNSA and the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, delivered presentations on international nuclear safeguards, which are technical measures applied by the IAEA to verify that a country's nuclear material is accounted for and not diverted for non-peaceful activities.
Experts also facilitated interactive exercises designed to provide participants with information onhow to prepare declarations to the IAEA on certain materials, activities, and locations.
U.S. Embassy Political Officer Samuel Downing congratulated Cambodia on entering into forcethe Additional Protocol as part of its commitment to nuclear nonproliferation.
He also noted the importance of continued engagement on this topic as it promotes greater understanding of the technical implementations of the Additional Protocol that could helpCambodia's implementation.
Entering the AP into force is an important milestone for IAEA Member States, and workshopsfocused on the AP help to ensure that states with small amounts of nuclear material, such asCambodia develop the necessary infrastructure and safeguards-supporting capacity to fulfilltheir responsibilities.
The United States is proud to work with its partner Cambodia to ensure that nuclear materials are handled safely and securely and used for peaceful purposes.