Preventing Nuclear Proliferation The United Nations serves as a key international platform from which countries can work together to stem the proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. The UN General Assembly, the Security Council, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) all provide venues for countries to share resources and information, create frameworks for addressing breaches of international agreements, and build unified fronts against rogue states such as Iran and North Korea. 2010 was a pivotal year for global nuclear non-proliferation. The Nuclear Security Summit, hosted by President Obama in April 2010, brought together 47 world leaders. By consensus agreement, world leaders pledged to fight nuclear terrorism by securing all vulnerable nuclear materials in four years. One month later, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, for the first time in 10 years, also reached consensus on advancing disarmament and non-proliferation efforts; their agreement is based on three pillars: nuclear nonproliferation, peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and nuclear disarmament.
The UN’s Key Non-Proliferation Mechanisms: •
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The IAEA, which reports to the UN General Assembly and Security Council, monitors nuclear facilities and technology to ensure their peaceful use;
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Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). The CTBT, ratified by 153 member states, obliges parties not to detonate nuclear weapons or support those that do. The United States has signed but not ratified the CTBT; and
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Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). All but four countries are parties to the NPT, which commits member states to working toward both non-proliferation and disarmament.
Verifying Worldwide Nuclear Security and Usage: IAEA The IAEA seeks to prevent, detect, and respond to illicit or non-peaceful use of nuclear material. The IAEA currently inspects nuclear facilities in over 140 nations and provides UN member states with information and a technical reach beyond any of their individual capacities. In 2003, IAEA helped unmask Libya’s hidden nuclear weapons program. In 2005, the IAEA concluded that Iran had violated its safeguard obligations, alerting the world to an emerging threat that has prompted international sanctions. In October 2005, the IAEA and former Director General Mohamed El Baradei were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to prevent states from using nuclear energy for military purposes. In 2010, with strong support from the U.S., the board of the IAEA voted to set up a global nuclear fuel bank that 33