A New Issue of Project 60 Newsletter: Spreading Nuclear Security Culture across Africa

Monday May 25th, 2020

The new issue of Project 60 Newsletter reveals how through advocacy, training and tailored consultations, project countries and their partners help spread a modern nuclear security culture across Eastern and Cenral Africa. The new issue of P 60 Newsletter covers events and activities that took place during the period October 2018 – October 2019. No other public occasion illustrated better “the useful EU – Africa cooperation in nuclear security”, than the Project 60’s side event to the 63rd General Conference of the IAEA entitled “EU Contribution to International Security Regime – Advances in Nuclear Security in CoE Region East and Central Africa (ECA)” that took place in September 2019 in Vienna. Partner countries from the ECA regions stressed the achievements of Project 60 through case studies of the improvements in nuclear security. The contributions of DRC, Tanzania, Burundi, Zambia and Kenya were noted with high interest. By presenting the achievements of P 60 from the perspective of the end users in partner countries, the participants comprehended how the novel approach to the project’s implementation, where sustainability is the highest priority, is leading to tangible and lasting results in this important area. In March and April 2019, forty three national experts…
Burundi Officials, P 60 Team Leader discuss the Extension of the Project and the Draft Nuclear Law

Friday February 14th, 2020

During a two-day mission to Burundi, lasting from 12 to 14 February 2020, the Project 60 Team Leader Nicolas Delaunay met officials and experts from the host country to discuss important topics related to the extension of the Project as well as to the setup of the national nuclear and RN legislative framework. The EU Project 60, implemented by ISTC and a Consortium led by ENCO Consultancy, provides support to the EU CBRN Center of Excellence in East and Central Africa in nuclear security matters. A considerable part of the discussions in Bujumbura focused on the recommendations of the P60 implementing Consortium to improve the draft Nuclear Law of Burundi. The gap analysis developed by the P60 Consortium is a useful tool in this regard. When applied to the draft law, it detects that many important topics are well covered by the current version. However, special attention was needed to clarify some more complicated topics and to explain why the Consortium, after due assessment, recommends to modify some existing articles and to add new ones. The host country representatives recognized that the proposals for modification and introduction of new chapters and articles were very pertinent. A considerable part of the…
Brief summary of the Table-Top and Field Exercises – 26 to 30 August 2019 in Kenya

Friday December 13th, 2019

The week of Table-Top exercises (TTX) and Field exercises (FX) was organised in Nairobi, Kenya from 26 to 30 August 2019. Nine national experts (including two females) from different agencies from Burundi, DRC and Seychelles participated in the exercises that were organised at the Kenyan Radiation Protection Board (RPB) radioactive storage facility in Nairobi. As agreed with the participants beforehand, the exercises were provided in the French language. Three instructors from the Consortium (ENCO, SCK-CEN and STUK) were also present to conduct these exercises. For each FX/TTX, an information note (containing the exercise objectives, a short description of the scenario and required infrastructure and equipment) was prepared. Furthermore, the exercises’ agreements and agendas were provided to all participants one week before the event. For the TTXs, a document called “Guide for players” containing the exercise objectives and the scenario including the injects was prepared. In addition, at the beginning of each exercise, a briefing was made by the instructors, discussing the objectives, the details of the scenario and practical agreements. After each exercise, the instructors lead a debriefing with the participants, to provide recommendations for improvement. In general, there was a good cooperation between group members, leading to constructive discussions…
ISTC welcomes the news that the Low Enriched Uranium bank in Kazakhstan gets its first batch of material for storage

Friday October 18th, 2019

On 18 October 2019 Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry published an official announcement that the first batch of low enriched uranium was delivered to the Low Enriched Uranium Bank (LEU) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Ust-Kamenogorsk, East Kazakhstan region. The LEU bank will store 90 metric tonnes of uranium hexafluoride suitable for production of fuel for a conventional light-water reactor at nuclear power plants. The suppliers for the IAEA LEU Bank are Kazakhstan's National Atomic Company Kazatomprom JSC and France's Orano Cycle. Reportedly, the LEU reserve is not a radioactive waste poses no threat to the local population and the environment and serves as backup material for the IAEA member states that face shortage of traditional fuel supplies for political reasons. The agreement on the establishment of the IAEA LEU Bank was signed by Kazakhstan's leadership and the IAEA in August 2015 in Nur-Sultan, while the Bank was declared operational two years later. Several ISTC State Parties – the US, the European Union and Norway – are among the major donors for this important international project that constitutes a concerted multilateral initiative in the field of non-proliferation and peaceful use of nuclear energy. On its part ISTC Secretariat maintains…
ISTC supports the Second African Youth Nuclear Summit

Tuesday October 8th, 2019

Pretoria, 8 October 2019. ISTC, together with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the African Commission on Nuclear Energy (AFCONE), the World Nuclear University (WNU), the International Youth Nuclear Congress (IYNC) and other international and regional organizations delivered a strong message of encouragement to the African Young Generation in Nuclear (AYGN) as this continent-wide network of young professionals convened its Second African Youth Nuclear Summit in Pretoria, from 8 through 11 October. AYGN gathered over 100 participants from the fields of nuclear science, research, education and industry and invited managers and CEOs from public and private nuclear bodies and institutions to discuss a wide range of issues related to the peaceful and innovative use of nuclear power, technologies and products. Speaking on behalf of ISTC, Kamen Velichkov, Senior Programme Manager and Diplomatic Advisor, reminded the participants that ISTC has assisted AYGN since its establishment in Kenya in 2017; it has helped with the organization of the integrated workshop on nuclear communication and advocacy in Nairobi in 2017, supported the launch of Zambia’s national chapter of the AYGN during the international conference in Lusaka in September 2018; ISTC has also supported various commitments and participation of AYGN members in expert meetings…
PROJECT 60 ILLUSTRATES THE USEFUL EU – AFRICA COOPERATION IN NUCLEAR SECURITY

Friday September 20th, 2019

A Side event to the 63rd General Conference of the IAEA, entitled “EU Contribution to international security regime- Advances in nuclear security in CoE Region East and Central Africa (ECA)” took place on 18th September 2019. The Side event was organised to highlight the EC’s efforts to enhance nuclear security internationally, while showcasing the project “P-60-Support for Central and Easter Africa in Nuclear Security”, that is being implemented within the EC DEVCO’s Instrument contributing to Peace and Security through the CBRN Centres of Excellence (CoE) Risk Mitigation Initiative. An international audience of about 60 persons, with interest in RN security, attended. The Side event was opened by Mr. Jacek Bylica, EU’s Special Envoy for Disarmament and Non-proliferation, and moderated by Mr Kamen Velichkov of the International Science and Technology centre (ISTC), based in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. In his opening speech, Mr Bylica stressed the importance of nuclear security for the peace and prosperity worldwide. He accentuated the EC’s high contribution to global security efforts including the support to the IAEA in this regard.  The IAEA’s Director for nuclear security, Mr. Raja Abdul Aziz Raja Adnan introduced the IAEA activities, with EC DEVCO’s Mr Olivier Luyckx and EC JRC’s Mr Said Abousahl…
ISTC MEETS PARTNERS DURING THE IAEA 63rd GENERAL CONFERENCE IN VIENNA

Thursday September 19th, 2019

From 16 through 19 September 2019 the ISTC Executive Director David Cleave and members of the ISTC Secretariat visited Vienna to participate in meetings and activities during the IAEA 63rd General Conference. The General Conference, the IAEA central annual event, brought to Vienna over 3000 participants, including delegates from 152 IAEA’s Member States, and from international organizations, non-governmental organizations and the media. In his opening statement Acting IAEA Director General Cornel Feruta emphasized the Agency’s extensive work in helping Member States to keep nuclear and radioactive material and technologies safe and secure. This message was also addressed to African countries, where ISTC is engaged in implementation of EU-funded projects. A total of 86 side-events took place during the GC 63 week showcasing the innovative work underway at the IAEA and in Member States using nuclear technologies. One of the most interesting among them proved to be the EU Side Event entitled: “Stronger Nuclear Security Through Effective Cooperation: EU Support Through Centres of Excellence in Eastern and Central Africa”, and organized by the European Commission, and featuring ISTC-implemented projects. ISTC Executive Director David Cleave held a number of bilateral meetings with ISTC existing and prospective Partners: In his meeting with Mr.…
KEBS AND EUROPEAN UNION (EU) TALKS AIM AT BOLSTERING COOPERATION

Wednesday July 3rd, 2019

KEBS and EU hold the first strategic cooperation dialogue on strengthening mutual ties. The discussion  aims at bolstering existing modest relation between the KEBS and International Science and Technology Centre (ISTC)  through institutional framework. The EU through ISTC has a long history of standards development, metrology, testing, Research and Development (R & D) working with technical organizations  and connecting scientists in the European Union (EU), Japan, Republic of Korea, Africa, Norway and the United States. The discussion involved thematic areas common to both ISTC and KEBS, in order to address pressing global issues of common concern.  The identified cooperation include KEBS staff capacity building, infrastructural development ,  research and promotion of Radiation Protection by Dosimetry. The meeting was chaired by Ag. Managing Director KEBS Mr. Bernard N. Njiraini .  The EU was represented Ambassador Ron Lehman who is the Chairman of the ISTC Governing Board,  accompanied by  Mr. David Cleave  Chief  Executive Director of ISTC along with other senior officials. [gallery columns="4" ids="10022,10023,10025,10024,10021"]
INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CENTRE (ISTC) TALKS WITH MINISTRY OF ENERGY AIM AT BOLSTERING COOPERATION

Wednesday July 3rd, 2019

The International Science and Technology Centre (ISTC) delegation and Kenyan Ministry of Energy in Nairobi, Kenya hold the first strategic cooperation dialogue on strengthening mutual ties. The discussion  aims at bolstering existing modest relation between the KEBS and International Science and Technology Centre (ISTC)  through institutional framework. The EU through ISTC has a long history of financial support for projects in 58 countries, benefiting over 76,000 scientist for the last 25 years. The talks centered on how Kenya can benefit and take up the opportunities available through ISTC, by becoming a member. During the talks, Principle Secretary (PS) for Ministry of Energy, Dr. Eng. Joseph K. Njoroge praised the ISTC for supporting innovative projects that are expected to create business opportunities by launching new commercial joint ventures that link the demands of international markets with the highly qualified scientific talent pool available in Russian and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Institutes. The ISTC was represented by Ambassador Ron Lehman who is the Chairman of the ISTC Governing Board,  accompanied by  Mr. David Cleave  Chief  Executive Director of ISTC along with other senior officials. Ambassador Ron Lehman emphasized the need for Kenya to take up leadership role for the region.…
CBRN COE PROJECT 60 POISED TO ASSUME NEW TASKS WITH RESPECT TO TRANS-BORDER COOPERATION ON NUCLEAR SECURITY AMONG PARTICIPATING AFRICAN STATES

Wednesday June 19th, 2019

On 14 July 2019 the Fifth Steering Committee meeting of the CBRN CoE Project 60 “Support to the Centre of Excellence of Eastern and Central Africa in Nuclear Security” took place in la Hulpe hotel, near Brussels, back-to-back with the Sixth International Meeting of CBRN CoE National Focal Points. Executive Director David Cleave greeted the participants on behalf of ISTC that manages the Project implementation. Ms. Silvia Botton, the DEVCO Manager of P-60, also addressed the SC members, referring to the results achieved so far and the prospects for the implementation. A review took place of the follow-ups and fulfillment of the decisions from the last year Fourth Steering Committee. On the basis of the presentation by the ENCO Team Leader Mr. Nicolas Delaunay, the SC members assessed the results of the Train-the –Trainer courses, the Table Top and Field exercises and the experts’ missions that took place during the last twelve months. Participants paid special attention to the expert findings on the lists of equipment needed by individual countries and exchanged opinions on the way forward. They also identified existing gaps in the monitoring of the trans-border movements of radioactive sources and considered possibility for improvements in the bilateral…