The Results We Need in 2016: Policy Recommendations for the Nuclear Security Summit

In 2010, US President Barack Obama launched the nuclear security summit (NSS) process, inviting dozens of heads of states to Washington, DC, to discuss nuclear security. Additional summits were held in 2012 in Seoul, Republic of Korea, and 2014 in The Hague, Netherlands. The summits have brought high-level attention to the issue of protecting vulnerable nuclear and other radioactive materials, which has resulted in actions that made the world a safer place for people across every continent. However, the mission is not yet complete. The goal of effective nuclear security requires vigilance and effort. With the final summit coming up in 2016, it is imperative that the NSS process results in a legacy that will sustain its past accomplishments and close remaining gaps to achieve effective and durable global nuclear security.

The Fissile Materials Working Group (FMWG), a coalition of 80 civil society organizations and individuals from around the world and a co-organizer of civil society events around the NSS in Washington, Seoul, and The Hague, identified an opportunity to develop innovative and actionable policy recommendations ahead of the 2016 NSS in Washington, DC. The FMWG convened international experts in three policy development groups:

• Elimination of Highly Enriched Uranium in Civilian Applications, group chaired by Ms. Elena Sokova of the Center for Nonproliferation Studies.
• Enhancing the Security of Military Nuclear Materials, group chaired by Dr. James Doyle, independent analyst.
• Information Sharing, Standards and Best Practices, and Security Culture, group chaired by Dr. Anita Nilsson of AN & Associates LLC.

This report, released in Vienna, Austria, and Washington, DC, on June 25 and June 29, 2015, respectively, presents the findings of the policy development groups as well as 11 actionable policy recommendations. These recommendations can be implemented through the NSS process as well as in other international fora.