The first North American sub-Regional Workshop on the international Incident and Trafficking Database (ITDB) was held this week in Arlington, Virginia.
Established in 1995, theInternational Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) ITDB program has proven to be a valuable tool for sharing information on incidents involving nuclear and other radioactive materials outside of regulatory control, including illicit trafficking of such materials.
Experts from the United States, Mexico, and Canada, as well as representatives from the IAEA and INTERPOL, attended the workshop to promote responsible and accurate reporting of incidents of nuclear and other radioactive materials outside of regulatory control to the IAEA’s ITDB.
The data is used to identify trends and analyse past incidents to strengthen the global nuclear security regime. At the week’s conclusion, IAEA and U.S. government officials jointly facilitated a tabletop exercise encouraging North American governments to consider how they can share national-level information on criminal incidents involving nuclear or other radioactive material by utilising the ITDB.
Recognising the serious threat of nuclear or radiological terrorism, participants agreed that governments must continue to work together to secure materials at their source, detect trafficking attempts, and investigate criminals who attempt to illegally acquire or traffic nuclear or other radioactive materials.