International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe

The International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe (also The Luxembourg Forum) — is an international non-governmental organisation uniting leading world-renowned experts on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, materials and delivery vehicles.

The Forum was established pursuant to a decision passed by the International Conference on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe held in Luxembourg 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, developments in controlling nuclear technologies, enhancement of IAEA safeguards and the current situation in problematic states and regions (the Middle East, East and South Asia).

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, arms control and disarmament 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.^[1]

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;

• Mohammed ElBaradei, former Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA);

• William Perry, Stanford University Professor, former U.S. Secretary of Defense;

• Hans Blix, WMDC Chairman, former IAEA Director General;

• Yukiya Amano, IAEA Director General.

The Forum’s President is Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor, an international activist and philanthropist who is also President of the European Jewish Congress and Co-chairman 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 Council (SC).

The IAC brings together over 40 leading experts on the global security, 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 organisations.

The Supervisory Council holds regular meetings to elaborate guidelines for action. The Supervisory Council includes Chairman of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission Hans Blix; former Foreign Minister and Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, MGIMO University professor Igor Ivanov; Vice President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician Nikolay Laverov; Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nuclear Threat Initiative Samuel Nunn; Stanford University Professor William Perry; Director of the East-West Center at the University of Maryland, Academician Roald Sagdeev and Chairman of the Governing Board, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Rolf Ekeus; co-chairman of the Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Australia Gareth Evans. .

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 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 region and on the Korean Peninsula;

— Promoting international peace and security through new approaches and by presenting recommendations to decision-makers, diplomats and experts on nuclear security and non-proliferation critical issues.