International Luxembourg Forum On Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe
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The International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe (also ''The Luxembourg Forum'') — is an international
non-governmental organisation A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...
uniting leading world-renowned experts on non-proliferation of
nuclear weapon A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear weapon), producing a nuclear exp ...
s, materials and delivery vehicles. The Forum was established pursuant to a decision passed by the International Conference on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe held in
Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
on May 24–25, 2007. The Conference discussed new challenges and threats to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the underlying nuclear non-proliferation regime, the threat of
nuclear terrorism Nuclear terrorism is the use of a nuclear weapon or radiological weapon as an act of terrorism. There are many possible terror incidents, ranging in feasibility and scope. These include the sabotage of a nuclear facility, the intentional irrad ...
, developments in controlling nuclear technologies, enhancement of
IAEA The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 1957 ...
safeguards and the current situation in problematic states and regions ( the Middle East,
East East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that ea ...
and
South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...
). To achieve a practical strengthening of the nuclear non-proliferation regime, the Conference participants prepared a final document and called it the Luxembourg Conference Declaration. The Declaration reflects the opinion of 57 independent experts on
global security ''International Security'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal in the field of international and national security. It was founded in 1976 and is edited by the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University and publish ...
,
arms control Arms control is a term for international restrictions upon the development, production, stockpiling, proliferation and usage of small arms, conventional weapons, and weapons of mass destruction. Historically, arms control may apply to melee wea ...
and
disarmament Disarmament is the act of reducing, limiting, or abolishing Weapon, weapons. Disarmament generally refers to a country's military or specific type of weaponry. Disarmament is often taken to mean total elimination of weapons of mass destruction, ...
from 14 countries, and included a roadmap to resolution of the complex nuclear situation. The most important result of the conference was the establishment of a permanent Luxembourg Forum, which originally included the 43 parties to the Declaration. The results of the Conference and the official Declaration were presented on December 18, 2007 in
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
. The Conference was one of the most relevant events dealing exclusively with nuclear non-proliferation issues. Attendees included: * Sergey Kirienko, Director General of Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation; * Nikolay Laverov, Vice President of the
Russian Academy of Sciences The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation; and additional scientific and social units such ...
; * Mohammed ElBaradei, former Director General of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 1957 ...
; *
William Perry William Perry may refer to: Business * William H. Perry (businessman) (1832–1906), American businessman and entrepreneur * William Perry (Queensland businessman) (1835–1891), businessman and politician in Queensland, Australia Politics an ...
, Stanford University Professor, former U.S. Secretary of Defense; *
Hans Blix Hans Martin Blix (; born 28 June 1928) is a Swedish diplomat and politician for the Liberal People's Party. He was Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs (1978–1979) and later became the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Blix wa ...
, WMDC Chairman, former
IAEA The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 1957 ...
Director General; * Yukiya Amano,
IAEA The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 1957 ...
Director General. The Forum’s President is
Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor (, born 8 September 1953) is a Russian, British and Israeli businessman described as an oligarch, who serves as President of the European Jewish Congress (EJC), President of the World Holocaust Forum Foundation (WHF) a ...
, an international activist and
philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...
who is also President of the European Jewish Congress and President of the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation. Dr. Kantor contributed significantly to preparing and holding the Luxembourg Conference and chaired its Organizing Committee. The Forum is governed by an International Advisory Council (IAC) and a Supervisory Board (SBC). The IAC brings together over 50 leading experts on the
global security ''International Security'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal in the field of international and national security. It was founded in 1976 and is edited by the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University and publish ...
, sets Forum agendas and participates in preparing the Forum’s final documents for circulation to political leaders, diplomats and the heads of international and
non-governmental organisation A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...
s. The Supervisory Board holds regular meetings to elaborate guidelines for action. The Supervisory Council includes: *
Hans Blix Hans Martin Blix (; born 28 June 1928) is a Swedish diplomat and politician for the Liberal People's Party. He was Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs (1978–1979) and later became the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Blix wa ...
, Ambassador, former Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Chairman of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission; *
Igor Ivanov Igor Sergeyevich Ivanov (; born 23 September 1945) is a Russian politician and diplomat who was Foreign Minister of Russia from 1998 to 2004 under both the Yeltsin and the Putin administrations. Early life Ivanov was born in 1945 in Moscow t ...
, President of the Russian International Affairs Council, former Foreign Minister and Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, MGIMO University professor; *
Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (May 27, 1923 – November 29, 2023) was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 56th United States secretary of state from 1973 to 1977 and the 7th National Security Advisor (United States), natio ...
, Chairman of Kissinger Associates, former US Secretary of State, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs; *
William Perry William Perry may refer to: Business * William H. Perry (businessman) (1832–1906), American businessman and entrepreneur * William Perry (Queensland businessman) (1835–1891), businessman and politician in Queensland, Australia Politics an ...
, Professor of the Stanford University, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Defense; *
Roald Sagdeev Roald Zinnurovich Sagdeev (, ; born 26 December 1932) is a Russian expert in plasma physics and a former director of the Space Research Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences. He was also a science advisor to the Soviet President Mikhail Gorba ...
, Distinguished University Professor, Department of Physics at the University of Maryland, Director Emeritus of the Russian Space Research Institute, Academician; * Jayantha Dhanapala, Distinguished Associate Fellow at the
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) is an international institute based in Stockholm, Sweden. It was founded in 1966 and provides data, analysis and recommendations for armed conflict, military expenditure and arms trade a ...
(SIPRI), former President of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, UN Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs; * Vladimir Lukin, Deputy Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federation Council of Russia (Russian Senate), President of the Russian Paralympic Committee, Professor of the National Research University – Higher School of Economics, Member of the Supervisory Board of the International Luxembourg Forum (former Chairman of the Committee on International Relations and Deputy Chairman of the State Duma, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United States of America, Commissioner on Human Rights for the Russian Federation); * Rolf Ekeus, Ambassador, former High Commissioner on National Minorities at the OSCE and Chairman of the Governing Board of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI); * Gareth Evans, Former Chancellor of the Australian National University (former Australian Senator and Member of Parliament, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Australia.


Cooperation between Luxembourg Forum and Vatican

In 2019, participants of the International Luxembourg Forum’s conference in Rome, experts in nuclear security, nuclear arms reduction, control and non-proliferation from the United States, Russia, France, Sweden, Canada, Australia and other countries were received by the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, as part of the dialogue and joint initiatives of the Luxembourg Forum and the Holy See. Heads of five major international organizations dealing with nuclear arms control issues (the Nuclear Threat Initiative, the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, Global Zero, the Russian International Affairs Council, and James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (United States)) attended the meeting. Cardinal Pietro Parolin confirmed the Holy See's concerns about the issues of nuclear arms control, underscored the need of their maximum limitation and minimizing the risk of their use, and affirmed the Holy See’s commitment to strengthen global security and develop a multilateral dialogue to prevent the threat of nuclear catastrophe.


Forum Priorities

The Luxembourg Forum focuses on two priorities: — Counteracting growing threats to the nuclear non-proliferation regime and erosion of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), including the escalating danger of
nuclear terrorism Nuclear terrorism is the use of a nuclear weapon or radiological weapon as an act of terrorism. There are many possible terror incidents, ranging in feasibility and scope. These include the sabotage of a nuclear facility, the intentional irrad ...
and attempts by rogue states to gain access to nuclear materials and technologies. At present, close attention is paid to nuclear weapons non-proliferation in the
Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
region and on the
Korean Peninsula Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically divided at or near the 38th parallel between North Korea (Dem ...
; — Promoting international peace and security through new approaches and by presenting recommendations to decision-makers, diplomats and experts on nuclear
security Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercion). Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be persons and social groups, objects and institutions, ecosystems, or any other entity or ...
and non-proliferation critical issues.


Forum Events


International Conference on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe (Luxembourg, May 24–25, 2007)

Presentation of the Luxembourg Forum Declaration (Moscow, December 18, 2007)

Workshop of the International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe (Moscow, April 14, 2008)

Joint Seminar of the International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe and Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs (Rome, June 12, 2008)

International Luxembourg Forum Supervisory Council Annual Meeting (Moscow, December 9, 2008)
# Workshop, International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe (Moscow, April 22, 2009)
Workshop, International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe (Geneva, July 3, 2009)

International Luxembourg Forum Supervisory Council Annual Meeting (Moscow, December 8–9, 2009)

Workshop, International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe (Vienna, April 8–9, 2010)

International Luxembourg Forum Conference (Washington, September 20–21, 2010)
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International Luxembourg Forum Supervisory Council Annual Meeting (Moscow, December 8–9, 2010)

International Luxembourg Forum Conference (Stockholm, June 13–14, 2011)

International Luxembourg Forum Supervisory Council Annual Meeting (Moscow, December 12–13, 2011)

Anniversary Luxembourg Forum Conference (Berlin, June 4-5, 2012)

Joint Conference of the International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe and the Geneva Center for Security Policy (Geneva, September 11-12, 2012)

Conference of the International Luxembourg Forum “Safe Tolerance Criteria for Nuclear Non-proliferation Regimes” (Montreux, May 21-22, 2013)

International Luxembourg Forum’s Supervisory Board Annual Meeting (Warsaw, December 10-11, 2013)

Round Table of the International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe (Geneva, June 10-11, 2014)

Round Table of the International Luxembourg Forum "Mid-Term Perspective for Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation" and meeting of the Supervisory Council of the Luxembourg Forum. Prague, 2-4, 2014

Conference of the International Luxembourg Forum "The 2015 NPT Review Conference and the Regional Non-proliferation Issues". Stockholm, June 9-10, 2015

Joint Conference of the International Luxembourg Forum and the Nuclear Threat Initiative "Preventing the Crisis of Nuclear Arms Control and Catastrophic Terrorism". Washington, December 1-2, 2015

Conference of the International Luxembourg Forum "30th anniversary of the Reykjavik Summit – lessons of the past and the tasks for the future". Amsterdam, June 7-8, 2016

International Luxembourg Forum Supervisory Council meeting. London, December 6-7, 2016

Presentation of the Joint Publication by the International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe and the US-based Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), entitled 'Preventing the Crisis of the Nuclear Arms Control and Catastrophic Terrorism'. Washington, March 23, 2017

Presentation of the joint publication by the International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe and the US-based Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), entitled 'Preventing the Crisis of the Nuclear Arms Control and Catastrophic Terrorism'. Moscow, April 20, 2017

10th Anniversary Conference of the International Luxembourg Forum “Topical Issues of Nuclear Non-Proliferation”. Paris, October 9-10, 2017

Conference of the International Luxembourg Forum "Nuclear Strategies and Strategic Stability". Geneva, June 11-12, 2018

International Luxembourg Forum Supervisory Board meeting. Brussels, December 4-5, 2018

Conference of the International Luxembourg Forum "Arms Control: the Burden of Changes". Rome, June 4-5, 2019


See also

* Prevention of nuclear catastrophe


References


External links


International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)

Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor’s personal website
International political organizations Organizations established in 2007 Nuclear weapons Anti-nuclear organizations