ABACC participates in the “Informal Workshop on Good Practices and Lessons Learned with Respect to the Existing Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones (Virtual)”, from 7 to 9, July 2020
ABACC was invited to participate in the “Informal Workshop on Good Practices and Lessons Learned with Respect to the Existing Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones” organized by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs – UNODA held between 7 and on July 9, 2020. The workshop was organized in consultation with the president and participating countries of the first session of the Conference on establishing a zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East. The event was attended by the president of the Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), ambassador Gustavo Zlauvinen, who reported in plenary the current state of the review process.
The Secretary of ABACC, Mr. Marco Marzo made a presentation at the panel of the workshop dedicated to discuss how nuclear-weapon-free zones deal with arrangements for control and cooperation. Speakers from the IAEA and the African Nuclear Energy Commission also participated in the panel.
Mr. Marzo presented the topic “The Contribution of Bilateral Arrangements to Regional and Global Peace and Security Objectives” in which he highlighted the contribution of the Bilateral Agreement between the Argentine Republic and the Federative Republic of Brazil for the Exclusively Pacific Use of Nuclear Energy, signed in Guadalajara, Mexico, in July 1991.
He pointed out that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the Presidential Declaration of Foz de Iguaçu, by which the presidents of Argentina and Brazil established a milestone in the bilateral relationship that consolidated the implementation of the bilateral safeguards system – Common System of Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials – SCCC and the Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control – ABACC- for its application in both countries.
Mr. Marzo concluded that the Bilateral Agreement between Argentina and Brazil represents a relevant contribution to nuclear non-proliferation at the regional and international levels. Finally, he pointed out that ABACC, in the context of the Tlatelolco Treaty, reinforces the nuclear non-proliferation architecture in a region of peace. He also mentioned that the process of trust and transparency and the lessons learned from this experience can serve as inspiration for other regions of the world.
The Deputy Secretary, Ms. Elena Maceiras, and an official from the planning and evaluation area of ABACC also participated in the workshop.