This Webinar, kindly supported by the Weapons Threat Reduction Program of Global Affairs Canada, is the second follow-up event after a series of 4 virtual projects organized by PGA IPSP in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean in 2021, aimed at facilitating Legislators in encouraging those States that have not yet joined the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT), the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials (CPPNM) and its Amendment (ACPPNM), to take the necessary steps to now do so.
Members of Parliament and Government officials from the Caribbean region, as well as from Canada, participated in this activity.
The meeting was opened by Mr. Peter Barcroft, Senior Director of PGA's International Peace and Security Program, who thanked participants for attending this session, in particular given the exigencies of the ongoing pandemic that is currently also affecting the Caribbean region. The recent invasion of Ukraine, which has already witnessed some alarming developments impacting nuclear and radiological security, was also highlighted early on as an indication of the importance, and urgency, surrounding the need for global coordination in this sphere.
Seeking sustained engagement by women parliamentarians in this arena, taking into account also the disproportionate adverse impact of nuclear and radiological leaks/exposure on the physical and mental health and well-being of women, was also a recurrent theme of this event. The Parliamentary Handbook published by PGA in 2021 on Promoting the Role of Women Parliamentarians in Preventing the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) was once again drawn to the attention of participants.
Mr. Barcroft also informed Participants that the PGA IPSP Team has now prepared individual National Plans of Action which it will be sharing with engaged PGA Membership in Caribbean States in the coming weeks. In the PowerPoint presentation delivered, the status of individual Caribbean States with respect to the three treaties in question was also drawn to the attention of the participants.
Before concluding, Mr. Barcroft talked about the Conference of the Parties to the Amendment of the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material 2022, which will take place in Vienna, Austria, from March 28 to 1 April 2022.
A number of interventions followed from participants. The first comment was delivered by PGA Member Sen. Wade Mark, from Trinidad and Tobago. He thanked PGA and Global Affairs Canada for the briefing and for past and future activities aiming at informing and encouraging participants in taking concrete measures. He also highlighted commitment to persuade his government to join ICSANT as well as to ratify the Amendment to the CPPNM. Following this comment, Hon. Rai Ragbir, MP, from Trinidad and Tobago, underlined the importance of these informative briefings. He also stressed that the risk of radiological contamination of waters, food, and of the country's environment is worrying and that it is, therefore, necessary to be more vigilant but also to make more efforts towards the ratification and implementation of these 3 treaties.
PGA’s IPSP Team will continue to stay in contact with the Webinar Participants/Registrants in the coming weeks and months to encourage respective follow-up actions.
