1st September 2010
VERTIC releases report on Verifying Warhead Dismantlement

VERTIC today releases Verified Warhead Dismantlement: Past, present, future.

The report is the Centre’s independent account of the so-called UK-Norway Initiative: a three-year project to investigate the verification of nuclear warhead dismantlement. The UK-Norway Initiative was the first time a non-nuclear-weapon state has partnered with a nuclear-weapon one to examine these issues. As such, the initiative broke important new ground, and set what may yet become a strong precedent for future work. VERTIC has been involved as an independent observer to the Initiative from the project’s earliest beginnings in 2007.

VERTIC’s report seeks to place the UK-Norway Initiative in the wider historical context of past dismantlement exercises and studies—and in so doing draw out the commonalities and differences between those and what the UK and Norway have achieved. ‘Remarkably,’ said Andreas Persbo, VERTIC’s Executive Director and one of the reports three co-authors, ‘the UK-Norway Initiative represents only the second time full-scale simulated dismantlement exercises of this kind have been held, the first being in 1960s America, and the only such undertaking of a bilateral nature.

Nonetheless, after a close examination of past initiatives, VERTIC has found that a number of the conclusions reached following the UK-Norway Initiative’s two mock inspection visits last year mirror past findings in striking fashion. ‘All inspection exercises have one thing in common,’ says the report: ‘they all aim to find a balance between the inspector’s need for access and the inspected party’s need to maintain confidentiality.’ The trade-off between inspector confidence and the need for a host party to protect classified information represents a running theme throughout the report.

The Anglo-Norwegian effort was conducted firmly within the technical realm. The programme—which proceeded on two fronts: ‘information barrier’ technology and managed access methodologies—was ‘driven by the goal of finding verification solutions, not verification problems,’ said Mr Persbo. Indeed, one of the principal conclusions of the Initiative was that properly managed collaboration between a nuclear and a non-nuclear-weapon state in the field of dismantlement verification can be done without fear of compromising sensitive or proliferative information.

‘Scientific collaboration between nuclear and non-nuclear-weapon states in this regard is both an achievable and a sensible goal,’ says the report. ‘On the one hand, it allows those in the laboratory of the nuclear-weapon state to escape the intellectual confines of their classified environment. And on the other, it allows those among the non-nuclear-weapon states of the world to grasp the many intellectual and practical problems that face those in the weapons camp. On the outside, it allows the public to gain some idea of the many scientific, technical and procedural steps, and obstacles, that lie ahead.

There will come a time when dismantlement processes will lack sufficient credibility unless signed off by one or a number of non-nuclear-weapon states. As Lord Browne, who wrote the preface to the report, said while UK secretary of defence in 2008, ‘it is of paramount importance that verification techniques are developed which enable us all—nuclear-weapon states and non-nuclear-weapon states—to have confidence that when a state says it has fully and irrevocably dismantled a nuclear warhead, we all can be assured it is telling the truth.

Despite a number of outstanding technical issues highlighted by the Initiative over the course of the last three years, the UK and Norway have together taken a small but important step toward the realisation of the nuclear disarmament agenda, in addition to making a timely standalone contribution to the current state of knowledge. VERTIC has been a proud partner.

Download Verifying Warhead Dismantlement: Past, present, future (PDF, 502kb)

31 August 2010
VERTIC Senior Researcher co-authors paper on REDD with WRI

VERTIC’s Senior Researcher Larry MacFaul has co-authored a Working Paper with the World Resources Institute and the Environmental Investigation Agency on information needed for mechanisms to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD). The paper examines what kind of data countries need to gather to develop and implement REDD strategies effectively, and what information could be made available at the international level. It focuses on measures to address illegal logging in Indonesia and Peru, and draws on work carried out for the Chatham House-VERTIC illegal logging indicators study.

World Resources Institute Working Papers contain preliminary research, analysis, findings, and recommendations. They are circulated to stimulate timely discussion and critical feedback and to influence ongoing debate on emerging issues. This paper is particularly aimed at making recommendations for domestic policy makers in forest-rich developing countries and for Parties to the ongoing UNFCCC negotiations, where it has already received interest.

'Tracking Transformative Forest Actions to Reduce Emissions: An illegal logging case study’  by Florence Daviet (WRI), Lauren Goers (WRI), Larry MacFaul (VERTIC), Andrea Johnson (EIAS) and Kirsten Stasio (WRI), WRI Working Paper, World Resources Institute, Washington DC, 2010.

23 August 2010
VERTIC participates in Meeting of Experts to the BWC

The National Implementation Measures Programme team participated in the Meeting of Experts to the Biological Weapons Convention in Geneva, during 23 to 27 August. This year’s topic is how to handle alleged use of biological weapons, including assistance and preventive measures. VERTIC gave a statement on the status of the NIM Programme and the services we provide to governments; staff also held several bilateral meetings with intergovernmental and international and regional organisations, as well as with individual governments. Several governments publicly acknowledged our work including Canada, Chile, Georgia, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, and the United States.

The NIM Programme team are Angela Woodward, Scott Spence, Rocio Escauriaza Leal, Yasemin Balci and Samir Mechkin. More about the team can be found on our ‘Expertise’ pages.

20 August 2010
VERTIC’s Senior Legal Officer Attends International Law Association Conference in The Hague

Scott Spence, VERTIC’s Senior Legal Officer, attended the 74th biennial conference of the International Law Association, which took place in The Hague from 15-19 August. The conference also celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Netherlands Association of International Law. The Conference included closed and open sessions of the ILA’s 25 Committees and 6 Study Groups, as well as 21 parallel sessions on various subjects including the International Criminal Court, non-state actors, the ICJ advisory opinion on Kosovo’s declaration of independence, UN reform and the proposed Organisation for the Prohibition of Biological Weapons.

Scott had the opportunity to clarify language for the final report of the International Law on Biotechnology Committee, on the role of the Biological Weapons Convention. He also encouraged the Non-state Actors Committee to expand their remit to include an examination of the role of non-state actors, such as VERTIC, in the substantive field of international arms control and disarmament law. The Committee agreed to consider this proposal.

Scott is a member of the ILA and its Dutch branch and is the National Implementation Measures Programme’s Senior Legal Officer. Other members of the team include Angela Woodward, Programme Director; Rocio Escauriaza Leal, Legal Officer; Yasemin Balci, Programme Assistant; and Samir Mechken, WMD Consultant.

5 August 2010
VERTIC Executive Director visits FFI

On 4 August 2010, VERTIC's Executive Director, Andreas Persbo, travelled to Norway to participate in a small meeting on covert nuclear fuel cycles organized by the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment.

23 July 2010
Call for Tenders for New Website

VERTIC is seeking tenders for the redevelopment of our website. This tender process will close Friday, 30 July, 1700 GMT. Please see our proposal.

16 July 2010
CTBT: Prospects for Entry into Force

VERTIC has now released the fourth and penultimate paper in its series on the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and its verification regime. This paper, on ‘Prospects for Entry Into Force’, is written by Jeffrey Lewis, director of the Nuclear Strategy and Non-Proliferation Initiative at the New America Foundation and founder of the highly-regarded Arms Control Wonk online blog.

The paper takes each of the nine remaining ‘Annex II’ hold-outs—whose ratifications are essential for the CTBT to come into force—in turn, assessing the likelihood of their full assent to the treaty in the coming months and years. Overall, the paper strikes a hopeful tone, noting that even the ‘hard cases’ of India, Pakistan and North Korea are not lost causes. On the latter, and arguably the hardest case of all, Mr Lewis notes that a breakthrough in US-North Korean relations could ‘rapidly result’ in North Korean ratification.

With regard to the three Middle Eastern Annex II states whose ratifications remain outstanding (Egypt, Iran and Israel), prospects for ratification are ‘inexorably entwined with the complexities and nuances of their regional security situations,’ says Mr Lewis. But, he suggests, movement forward on the long-proposed Middle Eastern Nuclear Weapons-Free Zone at the recent review conference of parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty sets an ‘encouraging precedent.’

To finish his paper, Mr Lewis argues that, pending full entry into force, CTBT parties might look to begin to apply the treaty on a provisional basis. ‘States parties could agree to an operational protocol that outlines the treaty’s provisional application,’ he proposes.  ‘And while it would be no substitute for actual entry into force of the treaty, such a protocol would enable the CTBTO to function more fully in the intervening period and help bolster the steadily growing norm against the detonation of nuclear devices.’

The paper is available to download here (PDF 180kb)

15 July 2010
Illegal Logging and Related Trade: Indicators of the Global Response

Today, Chatham House launched its report 'Illegal Logging and Related Trade: Indicators of the Global Response'. VERTIC senior researcher Larry Macfaul co-wrote the report with Chatham House associate fellow Sam Lawson. The report is the most thorough assessment so far of the global fight against illegal logging. According to the report, the total global production of illegal timber has fallen by 22 per cent since 2002.

The report covers all aspects of he timber trade. It studied five producer countries, two processing countries and five consumer countries. Despite the decline in illegaly harvested timer, illegal logging remains a serious problem. "If laid end to end the illegal logs would encircle the globe more than ten times over," said Larry MacFaul.

Speaking at the launch event, held at the Royal Society in London, Mr. Stephen O'Brien, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (DFID), said that deforestation still occurs at an 'alarming rate'. The solution, he argued, involves putting in place safeguards in producing countries, but also to change consumer behaviour in importing countries. He highlighted the finding of the report that 'every pound invested in combatting illegal logging results in six pounds of increased revenue'.

His speech was followed by a presentation by Sam Lawson, highlighting the major findings of the report. The launch also featured observations by H.E. Yuri Octavian Thamrin, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia, Samuel Nguiffo, Secretary General of the Centre pour l'Environnement et le Développement (CED) and Andris Piebalgs, Development Commissioner at the European Commission.

Andreas Persbo, VERTIC's Executive Director, said 'Yet again, VERTIC, this time working with Chatham House, has produced groundbreaking work. And while this report shows a remarkable decrease in illegal logging worldwide, much more work remains to be done. While the first task is to ensure that all use of the world's forests are legal, the real challenge ahead is to devise a fair system that encourages and rewards their sustainable use. My thanks to Chatham House, Sam Lawson and Duncan Brack in particular, for involving VERTIC in this important study'.

• Executive summary (PDF, 390kb).

• Full report (PDF, 3.48mb)

12 July 2010
Programme Assistant and Arabic-language consultant join NIM Programme

VERTIC is pleased to announce that Yasemin Balci, a Dutch lawyer, has joined the NIM team as a Programme Assistant. Yasemin will be providing administrative and legal research support to the Programme. Yasemin holds a Bachelor´s Degree from University College Utrecht (Utrecht University) and an LLM from the University of Cambridge. She was previously a policy officer at Cordaid, an international development NGO in The Hague. She was also a Lantos/Humanity in Action Fellow at the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the United States House of Representatives. Yasemin holds joint Dutch/Turkish nationality and speaks Dutch, Turkish and English.

We are also pleased to announce that Samir Mechken is consulting with the NIM Programme, with a particular focus on North Africa and the Middle East. Samir previously worked as a Legal Officer in the Office of the Legal Adviser at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague.

VERTIC´s other NIM team members are: Angela Woodward, Programme Director; Scott Spence, Senior Legal Officer; and Rocío Escauriaza Leal, Legal Officer.

30 June 2010
Trust & Verify, April-June 2010, Issue 129

Hugh Chalmers assesses the state of climate change verification after Copenhagen while David Cliff looks back at the 2010 NPT Review Conference. Also verification watch, verification quotes, science and technology scan, staff news and a note from the director.

Available for download (PDF, 388kb)

30 June 2010
Technology and science for nuclear disarmament

On 29 June 2010, Andreas Persbo delivered a presentation on the role of technology and science for nuclear disarmament to about 70 conference participants at Wilton Park's Conference 'Nuclear Salience in Decline?'.

Mr. Persbo called for the revitalization of the IAEA-Russia-US Trilateral Initiative, arguing that 'the US and Russia should agree to publicize already covered work, and open it up for international peer review'. In addition, holding that the 'first three years only scraped the surface of activities that could be undertaken' he urged that 'the UK and Norwegian governments continue to support the UK-Norway Initiative as a core activity'.

He said that 'involving the International Atomic Energy Agency in some capacity is part of the solution' of the problem of involving more states in the verification enterprise.

Jay Davis, President of the Hertz Foundation, and Ola Dahlman, an experienced CTBT veteran, joined him on the panel.

• Technology and science for nuclear disarmament (PDF, 68k); and
• accompanying slides (PDF, 120k).

29 June 2010
VERTIC’s Sample Act available in Portuguese

VERTIC has published it’s Sample Act for National Implementation of the BWC and related requirements of UNSCR 1540 in Portuguese for the benefit of all Lusophone countries.

‘Lei Modelo para a Implementação Nacional da Convenção de 1972 sobre a Proibição de Armas Biológicas e Toxínicas e Requisitos Relacionados à Resolução 1540 do Conselho de Segurança da ONU’

25 June 2010
Occasional Paper 3: Russia, Ratification and the CTBT's entry into force

Today, VERTIC releases the third in its series of five papers on the CTBT and its verification regime. 'Russia, Ratification and the CTBT's entry into force' is written by Victor Slipchenko, a well known former Russian diplomat and VERTIC advisor.

Mr. Slipchenko was an active participant in trilateral negotiations on a comprehensive nuclear test ban in the late 1970s. During the 1980s, he also attended bilateral talks with the United States on the Verification Protocol to the Threshold Test Ban Treaty. In 1993, Mr. Slipchenko was appointed by the Russian Government as Deputy Chief Negotiator for CTBT in Geneva. In that capacity he had contributed to the elaboration in the Conference on Disarmament of a draft treaty on the subject, while serving as Friend of the Chair on on-site inspections.

The paper argues that Russia can play a significant role in facilitating US ratification of the CTBT by reiterating some of its previous statements on the scope of the treaty. It also argues that Russia can engage in confidence building measures going 'far beyond' the treaty's provisions.y,

It is available to download here (PDF 180k).

22 June 2010
VERTIC at Climate Change Talks Bonn, and UN-REDD/Chatham House Expert Workshop, London
Larry MacFaul, Senior Researcher, attended the latest UNFCCC climate change talks in Bonn. The talks ran from 31 May to 11 June 2010 and included the 32nd sessions of the convention’s subsidiary bodies, the 10th session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention, and the 12^th session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol, see meeting web page. VERTIC also liaised with civil society partners on inputting into the negotiations and future work on implementation assistance.

Prior to the Bonn talks, 24-25 May, Larry MacFaul participated in an expert workshop on monitoring governance safeguards in REDD+. The goal of the workshop was to improve understanding of what aspects of governance need to be monitored and how this should be done. The meeting drew on current and past experiences from the forest and other sectors. The workshop aimed at developing a draft framework of core governance parameters for monitoring and reporting which could inform the negotiations and various REDD processes, and also assist countries preparing REDD strategies. The workshop also sought to improve coordination between existing governance monitoring initiatives and identify how these could be developed.

The workshop was run by Chatham House and the UN-REDD programme. See UN-REDD webpage:Global Experts Tackle Monitoring Governance Safeguards for REDD+; Chatham House, UN-REDD Programme and other leading forest governance experts met in London on 24-25 May to develop the basis for a coherent framework and guidance on monitoring governance for REDD Affairs.

Chatham House webpage: Monitoring Governance Safeguards in REDD+ Expert Workshop.

9 June 2010
VERTIC Executive Director presents at ILA Sweden AGM
Andreas Persbo travelled to Sweden over the day to present at the annual general meeting of the Swedish Branch of the International Law Association. He was asked to offer thoughts on whether the 2010 NPT Review Conference could be seen as a breakthrough in the disarmament question. The other presenter was Christer Ahlstrom, director of disarmament and international security at the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In attendance were several notable personalities from the Swedish arms control and disarmament community: Professor Ove Bring, former Professor of International Law at Stockholm University; Dr Hans Blix, former Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); and Mr Daniel Nord, Deputy Director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Mr Persbo ended his talk by stressing the importance of keeping up the momentum on the disarmement question, in a situation where there is increasing political will but dwindling funds. If little progress are made on the action plans by 2015, he said, 'the next review conference will be exceptionally difficult'.

8 June 2010
VERTIC participates in OPCW seminar
Angela Woodward, NIM Programme Director, participated in the OPCW seminar “The OPCW’s Contribution to the International Security Dimension: Achievements and Challenges”, in Berlin, 7-8  June 2010. The seminar aimed to promote the goals of the Chemical Weapons Convention by assessing, in conjunction with major international stakeholders, both the achievements of the Organisation and the challenges that lie ahead.  These stakeholders included States Parties to the Convention, States not Party, the United Nations, the chemical industry, scientific and academic institutions, think tanks, non governmental organisations (NGOs), and other relevant international and regional organisations.

In addition to assisting States with their national implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention through laws and regulations, VERTIC has also undertaken assistance activities with States, at their request, on drafting legislation to implement the Chemical Weapons Convention. More information about this Programme, is available at www.vertic.org/NIM or from Programme staff (Angela Woodward, Programme Director; Scott Spence, Senior Legal Officer; Rocío Escauriaza Leal, Legal Officer).

7 June 2010
VERTIC a ‘great partner’ in efforts to strengthen the CWC
The Director-General of the OPCW, Rogelio Pfirter, gave his farewell speech to a group of diplomats and officials at the Netherlands Institute of International Relations “Clingendael” on 3 June.

In an exchange with the British ambassador, H.E. Mr Paul Arkwright, Pfirter agreed that VERTIC is a ‘great partner’ with the OPCW in its efforts to strengthen the Chemical Weapons Convention. VERTIC welcomes this public acknowledgement of the importance of engagement by international disarmament organisations with civil society actors, and their contributions to ensuring that the world is safer from the threat of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.

Under its National Implementing Measures Programme, VERTIC works with States on improving their legislative frameworks for implementation of the nuclear, chemical and biological weapons treaties. Such assistance has, amongst other things,included hosting a high-level delegation in London to draft legislation for the implementation of the Biological and Chemical Weapons Conventions in that country’s official language.

NIM Programme staff are Angela Woodward, Programme Director; Scott Spence, Senior Legal Officer; and Rocio Escauriaza Leal, Legal Officer.

1 June 2010
VERTIC Executive Director published in UNIDIR book
In May, UNIDIR released its book 'A Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty: Understanding the Critical Issues' (PDF, 2.09Mb). The book features contributions from authours such as the International Panel on Fissile Materials, Anette Shaper, Harold A. Feiveson, Bruno Pellaud and the International Atomic Energy Agency

In his chapter, Mr. Persbo argued that, 'few weapon states would consider a treaty that encompasses reductions in stocks. Rather, the idea is to formalize the 20-year-old fissile material production moratoria already in effect among the P-5 and to introduce a legally binding moratorium in South Asia and the Middle East'.

He also held that, 'Given the large uncertainties in historical production in some weapon states, it will be near impossible to establish baseline inventories of nuclear material. There will not be any meaningful way, consequently, to monitor changes in state inventories of fissile material. This means that a fullscope verification regime will yield few benefits on the margin'.

Discussing the so-called focussed approach, he argued that 'this low-assurance verification scheme will by no means be foolproof, but given the object and purpose of an FMCT, it may be viewed as sufficient'.

VERTIC promotes effective and efficient verification schemes. It's views on the Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty is still under review. The chapter is therefore written in Mr. Persbo's personal capacity.

28 May 2010
UK-Norway Initiative gets Review Conference mention
On 28 May 2010, the NPT review conference agreed on a final document. This was the first consensus in ten years. The conference 'welcomed efforts towards the development of nuclear disarmament verification capabilities', in recognition that technical cooperation can, and in fact does, strengthen progress towards the total elimination of nuclear arsenals. In this context, it noted 'the cooperation between Norway and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in establishing a system for nuclear warhead dismantlement verification'.

VERTIC has been involved in this effort as an non-governmental observer since 2007.

'Achieving consensus at the conference was a great step forward', said Andreas Persbo, VERTIC's Executive Director. 'And I am glad that VERTIC could play a small part in laying the groundwork for a successful outcome'.

'We're also pleased that the document supports the Additional Protocol as the enhanced verification standard', said Mr Persbo, 'and also that the conference welcomes the IAEA's development of an information driven safeguards system. This will enable the Agency to continue its work on setting up safeguards that can give assurance that declared nuclear material remains in peaceful use. It will also build regime that gives assurance about the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities'.

VERTIC were in New York during three weeks. Hassan ElBahtimy, VERTIC researcher, who followed the conference closely, said ' in addition, agreeing on an action plan that would chart the way towards the implementation of the 1995 Middle East resolution is a significant achievement. It is important to note that the conference recongized the important role played by civil society in contributing to the implementation of the resolution.'

The action plans now needs to be implemented, and VERTIC is looking forward to playing its part in achiving further progress in 2015.

VERTIC's work on the NPT review cycle has been funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Ford Foundation, the Joseph-Rowntree Charitable Trust, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Norwegian Radiological Protection Authority and the UK Ministry of Defence.

27 May 2010
VERTIC researchers in Pugwash briefing book
Andreas Persbo and Hassan ElBahtimy contributed with two chapters to 'Perspectives for Progress: the 2010 NPT Review Conference and Beyond', a briefing book project led by the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs. The book includes commentary by Mohamed Shaker, Gen. Sir Hugh Beach (a VERTIC trustee), Sverre Lodgaard, Jayantha Dhanapala and Rebecca Johnson.

The VERTIC contributed sections are:

• The case for a stronger safeguards regime (by Andreas Persbo); and
• Verifying nuclear warhead dismantlement (by Hassan ElBahtimy).

The book is accessible on-line (PDF,1.39Mb)

14 May 2010
Uganda NAS releases report on biosecurity and biosafety
The Uganda National Academy of Sciences recently released the report “The Scope of Biosafety and Biosecurity in Uganda: Policy Recommendations for the Control of Associated Risks”. VERTIC’s Senior Legal Officer, Scott Spence, served as a consultant to the committee which prepared the report for the Ugandan government. He contributed, in particular, to the sections on national implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention and UNSCR 1540 in Uganda and the chapters going into detail on the distinctions among ‘biosafety’ and ‘biosecurity’ in the laboratory security and genetically modified organisms (GMO) contexts.  

The UNAS report

13 May 2010
VERTIC delivers statement on verified nuclear disarmament
Today, VERTIC’s Executive Director Andreas Persbo delivered a ten-minute presentation to the UK-Norway Initiative side event at the 2010 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in New York. As part of the presentation, Mr Persbo highlighted VERTIC’s role as an independent observer to the Initiative since early consultations were held in 2006, and looked ahead to the forthcoming publication of a VERTIC report on the project—the release of which is expected by the end of this September.

Addressing delegates at UN Headquarters, he related the Initiative’s three principal conclusions—namely, the “deceptively simple” nature of this kind of cooperative endeavour, the need for practical exercises to explore and test verification choices, and the “fundamental” role of trust and confidence in nuclear disarmament verification processes—while seeking to dispel any fears surrounding the potential release of proliferation-sensitive information. Scientific collaboration between nuclear and non-nuclear states in the field of disarmament verification was both an “achievable and sensible” goal, said Mr Persbo. “It allows those in the laboratory of the nuclear-weapon state to escape the intellectual confines of their classified environment. And on the other side, it allows those in the non-nuclear-weapon state to grasp the many intellectual and practical problems that face those in the weapons camp.”

On what the future holds for UK-Norwegian collaborative efforts, internal discussions on how to proceed have already been initiated, Mr Persbo announced—including discussions on the feasibility of holding experiments on British territory, “using more complex and real materials, and more realistic environments.” Crucially, he said: “At VERTIC, it is our conclusion that in spite of several practical problems encountered during the project, there is nothing to suggest that the verification of warhead dismantlement is not technically feasible. And nothing to suggest that we cannot keep dismantlement verification within acceptable levels of tolerance.”

Regardless of the outcome of future discussions, from what has gone before it is VERTIC’s “conviction that other states can learn and benefit greatly from what the UK and Norway have achieved,” he declared. For this reason, Mr Persbo said, “VERTIC gives its commitment to continue to document and promote this Initiative in the years ahead.”

VERTIC’s attendance at the Review Conference is funded by the Ford Foundation, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Norwegian Radiological Protection Authority.

Presentation

12 May 2010
UK-Norway Initiative Presentation in New York
On Thursday May 13, Norway and the UK are presenting work on their joint initiative to the 2010 NPT Review Conference. VERTIC will deliver a statement at the end of the presentation.

The UKNI is a unique collaboration between a Nuclear Weapon State (UK) and a Non-Nuclear Weapon State (Norway). It is the first joint work of this nature in this field of research. Confidence building and transparency measures, including verification, will be critical to moving towards a world free from nuclear weapons. This poses significant technical, financial and policy challenges. The project was designed to develop new technologies, methods and procedures for the verification of future dismantlement.

What: Presentation of the NPT Working Paper ‘The United Kingdom-Norway Initiative: Research into the Verification of Nuclear Warhead Dismantlement’

When: Thursday May 13 at 13:15-14:45

Where: Conference Room 2 (TNLB), United Nations headquarters, New York

With introductory remarks from Ambassador Steffen Kongstad, Director-General of the Department for Security Policy at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Head of the Norwegian NPT delegation and Ambassador John Duncan, Permanent Representative to the Conference of Disarmament in Geneva and Head of the UK NPT delegation.

VERTIC’s presentation will be delivered by Andreas Persbo, Executive Director.

VERTIC’s work on the initiative is funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Ford Foundation and Norwegian Radiological Protection Authority.

23 April 2010
VERTIC Brief No. 10, 'Towards a verified nuclear weapon free zone in the Middle East'
This paper outlines the need for a nuclear weapon free zone in the Middle East, and discusses its relevance for the 2010 NPT review conference. It is written by two Middle Eastern scholars.

Sameh Aboul-Enein is an Egyptian scholar and diplomat. He holds an MSc and a PhD in International Relations and the Middle East and has published a number of articles on disarmament issues. He is currently a visiting lecturer on disarmament (University of Westminster) and a member of a multilateral study group on Missiles (Peace Research Institute Frankfurt ). He is an alumnus of the School of Oriental and African Studies and this article forms part of his post-doctoral research. He contributed these views solely in his academic and personal capacity. Hassan Elbahtimy is a researcher at VERTIC. He is also a PhD candidate and a research associate at the Centre for Science and Security Studies at the War Studies Department, Kings College, London

It is available to download here (PDF 132k).

30 March 2010
VERTIC Executive Director presents to Wilton Park
On 29 and 30 March, Andreas Persbo travelled to Wilton Park to participate in a two day conference on the 'Verified Dismantlement of Strategic Missiles'.

Paper: 'Verifiying missile accords' (pdf, 102k); and
accompanying presentation: 'Verifying missile accords' (pdf, 150k)

25 March 2010
VERTIC assists with capacity building workshop in Nigeria on climate change
VERTIC provided assistance for a two day capacity building workshop for government officials on the climate change negotiations on 24 and 25 March.

The workshop was lead by FIELD and involved the High Commission, UNDP, ECBI and was funded by DFID's Policy and Knowledge Programme (PAK). It received very positive feedback from the participants. This workshop was preceded by a similar exercise for Masters students at SOAS, London.

During the workshop, Larry MacFaul delivered a presentation on climate change mitigation focusing on MRV issues, and helped with other workshop sessions including exploring climate change priorities for Nigeria and a negotiation simulation exercise.

Presentation: 'MRV and mitigation in the climate change regime' (pfd, 163k)

25 March 2010
VERTIC Executive Director participates in JRCT Trustees Conference
On 25 March, Andreas Persbo joined several other non-governmental organizations for a one day conference organized by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT). The aim of the meeting was to gather ideas for the Trust's future grantmaking strategy.

24 March 2010
VERTIC Executive Director presents to FIELD on challenges and opportunities in the international environmental decision making system following Copenhagen.
On 24 March 2010, Andreas Persbo delivered a presentation to a workshop organized to the Foundation for International Law and Development. The presentation touched on international climate change negotiations from an arms control perspective.

Paper:'International negotiations: an arms control perspective' (pdf, 79k)'

23 March 2010
VERTIC participates in UK-Norway Meeting
On 22 and 23 March, VERTIC's Executive Director joined the UK-Norway participants for a meeting at AWE Blacknest. The participants discussed the forthcoming presentation on the initiative, to be held in New York on 13 May 2010.

8 March 2010
VERTIC Executive Director presents at the 2010 Moscow Nonproliferation Conference

On 4-7 March 2010, Andreas Persbo travelled to Moscow to participate in the 2010 Moscow Nonproliferation Conference, organized by the Center for Energy and Security Studies in Moscow, Russia.

About 140 experts from think-tanks around the world, as well as governmental officials and specialists from international organizations took part in the Conference. Among the speakers who confirmed their participation in the event are representatives of Brazil, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Iran, Israel, Mexico, Netherlands, North Korea, Norway, Pakistan, Russia, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States.

Andreas Persbo's presentation was entitled 'Defining a Treaty on the Production of Weapons Usable Fissile Material' (PDF, 45k)

4 March 2010
UNODA Paper on ways to strengthen the field of verification

The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) has released Occasional Paper No. 18, 'Ways to Strengthen the Field of Verification' (PDF, 1.53MB).

Features presentations made at the fifty-first session of the Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters held from 18 to 20 February 2009 in New York.

Former VERTIC Science & Technology Researcher, James Acton, now an Associate in the Non-Proliferation Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, made a presentation entitled “Verifying zero: long-term aims, short-term steps”.

And Andreas Persbo, VERTIC's Executive Director spoke of “Nuclear arms control in the 2010s—verification challenges”.

22 February 2010
VERTIC's Board appoints Andreas Persbo as new Executive Director

VERTIC’s Board of Trustees appointed Andreas Persbo as VERTIC’s Executive Director at the Annual General Meeting.

Andreas, who has been with the organization since 2004, has extensive experience in international arms control and disarmament, specifically in the area of nuclear arms control. He is also a member of the International Law Association  and the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Former Executive Directors include Patricia Lewis, Trevor Findley, Michael Crowley and VERTIC’s NIM Programme Director Angela Woodward.

19 February 2010
VERTIC Participates in Biosafety and Biosecurity Conference in Kiev

VERTIC’s Legal Officer, Rocío Escauriaza Leal, participated in the International Conference “Biosafety and Biosecurity: Implementing the Recommendations of the States Parties Meetings of the Biological Weapons Convention” held in Kiev, Ukraine from 15 to 17 February. The Conference was organized by the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and the Commission on Biosafety and Biosecurity of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine.The conference was also sponsored by the Government of Canada, through the Global Partnership Program.

The aim of the Conference was to spread knowledge on the biosafety and biosecurity concepts among holders of potential dual-use knowledge – professionals selected from the leading institutions of Ukraine, involved in life sciences and medicine research, education and related industry.

Rocío presented on the legislative requirements to implement the BWC including biosafety and biosecurity measures; and on VERTIC’s NIM Programme.

9 February 2010
VERTIC Participates in Africa Regional Workshop on Biosafety and Biosecurity

VERTIC’s Senior Legal Officer, Scott Spence, participated in the “Africa Regional Workshop on Biosafety and Biosecurity”, during 2-4 February in Nairobi. The event was hosted by the Government of Kenya, with support from the UN 1540 Committee, the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, and the United States Government. Topics of discussion included:

•  Biological Risk Management for the African Continent
• UNSCR 1540: Ways and Means for Implementation and Technical Assistance
• Global Management of Biological Risks: Interlinked Array of Tools
• Think Globally, Secure Locally: National Frameworks for Safeguarding Biological Agents
•  International Approaches to UNSCR 1540 Implementation
• The Role of Professional Organizations in 1540 Implementation

There were bilateral discussions between VERTIC and other assistance providers and coordinators and the 20 participating countries from all regions in Africa. The conference participants also toured the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and Centers for Disease Control Global Disease Detection (GDD) Response Center and International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI).

Scott’s presentation was on “National Implementing Measures for Effective Biosafety and Biosecurity & VERTIC’s National Implementing Measures (NIM) Programme”.

5 February 2010
VERTIC Executive Director presents to INMM
On 3 February, Andreas Persbo delivered the presentation 'Article VI verification and NWS-NNWS cooperation' to the Fourth Annual Workshop on Reducing the Risks from Radioactive and Nuclear Materials. His panel also featured Jay Davis of the Hertz Foundation and George Anzelon of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Former VERTIC-director Patricia Lewis, now with the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, chaired the meeting.

The presentation announced the start of work on the Report of the Independent Observer, VERTIC's independent write-up of progress made under the UK-Norway Initiative. This work will be funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Our work on nuclear disarmament is supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ford Foundation.

25 January 2010
VERTIC programme director discusses the Chemical Weapons Convention Coalition on GSN
On 22 January, Angela Woodward discussed the newly formed Chemical Weapons Convention Coalition on Global Security Newswire (see also What's New, 4 December 2009). She said that the 'CWC is often considered to be the most successful of the WMD treaties, and arguably that is the case but there remain certain significant problems with the convention which states parties have utterly failed to deal with, such as noncompliance issues (like ‘nonlethal weapons’) or instigating the on-site inspection mechanism'.

The coalition expects to have three to four part-time employees and an annual budget of between $250k and $300k. 'I’m feeling positive,” Woodward stated. 'The CWCC members will be encouraged and supported to work towards the coalition’s goals. Some will be easier to achieve than others. But at the very least, the activities of those NGOs who are already working in support of the CWC can be amplified through membership of a coalition -- the whole is bigger than the sum of its parts'.

19 January 2010
VERTIC makes a donation to the ICRC
On the initiative of its staff, VERTIC has today donated about three percent of its remaining unrestricted funds to the International Committee of the Red Cross. The donation will go to medical aid for survivors of the 12 January 2010 earthquake and support for efforts to recover and identify the dead.

"The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) relies on everyone’s commitment to the humanitarian cause and its underlying values. The strongest possible support from individuals, companies and foundations is essential if we are to meet the challenges we are currently facing. Your support to ICRC is more than just a donation - it is a true act of humanity. Thank you".
- Jakob Kellenberger, President of the ICRC

Please join us and make a donation today.

18 January 2010
VERTIC Executive Director lectures at ISODARCO 2010
On 13-15 January, Andreas Persbo travelled to Andalo, Italy, to lecture at the 23d ISODARCO Winter Course.

ISODARCO is associated with the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs. Its purpose is to bring together those with a great variety of experiences and approaches relating to security problems. Their discussions focus on commissioned expert papers.

Andreas' presentation can be downloaded here (Quicktime, 297MB), left-click to progress through slides. You need high-speed broadband access to download in reasonable time.

Stills and movie clips were provided courtesy of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and the Colbert Report, Comedy Central. Some images shot by VERTIC researchers at the Semipalatinsk Test Site, Kazakhstan.

Our work on the CTBTO is funded by the Ploughshares Fund and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

13 January 2010
VERTIC takes part in Norway meeting
On 11-13 January 2010, VERTIC took part in a UK-Norway Initiative meeting on the forthcoming Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference. Its staff provided advice on a working paper currently being drafted by the two countries.

VERTIC is seeking funding for its participation in the UK-Norway Initiative. The Norwegian Radiological Protection Authority (NRPA) paid for travel and accommodation.

7 January 2010
Ethos article now online
Ethos Magazine has just finished their new website, and have put their most recent articles online, including Andreas Persbo's article 'How can states verify nuclear disarmament?' The same edition also features a commentary by Chatham House's Paul Kornish.

Ethos aims to provide a space in which issues relevant to public service reform can be discussed and debated. The publication will feature the key international policy debates affecting public services with contributions from well known and respected journalists, academics, policymakers and politicians from around the world.

Ethos is published on behalf of Serco Group plc.

22 December 2009
Putting the CTBT into practice
VERTIC's new brief examines the practical application of the various elements of the CTBT verification regime, their interplay, and suggests a model for technical interaction among States Parties to facilitate verification. It is written by two prominent Australian CTBT veterans.

Malcolm Coxhead is the Section Head for CTBT implementation at the Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Office (ASNO), responsible for implementation of CTBT obligations and oversight of the International Monitoring System in Australia. He has led the process to elaborate a draft OSI Operational Manual in CTBT Preparatory Commission’s Working Group B since mid-2004.

David Jepsen is the leader of the Nuclear Monitoring Project at Geoscience Australia, responsible for monitoring nuclear explosions worldwide and supporting the establishment of the CTBT verification system. From 1997-2007 he led the IDC Experts Group on seismo-acoustic Event Screening in the CTBTO Preparatory Commission.

Download VERTIC brief no. 10, 'Putting the CTBT into practice', (PDF, 167k)

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