Global Best Practices for Nuclear Materials Management: Perspectives on South Asia

Evident tensions in South Asia raise a need for the development of mechanisms to facilitate regional and international transparency regarding nuclear materials management. This Session of the INMM Annual Meeting is focused on addressing this need. Within South Asia, India and Pakistan are of particular interest given that both possess nuclear weapons and neither are Parties to the NPT. Their status as such does not obligate these countries to conform to the wide range of commitments stemming from comprehensive IAEA safeguards agreements. Further, India and Pakistan are not able to enjoy NPT Article IV benefits.1 India and Pakistan are increasingly eager to demonstrate to the world that they recognize and can deliver on their responsibilities for preventing proliferation and terrorism. Enhanced cooperation in nuclear materials management will provide a means for these nations to fulfill their responsibilities, as well as the expectations of the international community. New approaches are needed for the world to be confident that India and Pakistan implement and sustain systems of nuclear materials management that are on par with those of the NPT community.