The NTI website offers daily news and in-depth resources about the global threats from nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and related issues, featuring:

new UNSC Resolution 1540 Database -
a comprehensive database that provides analysis of UNSCR 1540, regional overviews of activities, nuclear, biological and chemical capabilities, and a complete state-by-state listing of 1540 reporting, as well as terrorist threats relating to its implementation.

Global Security Newswire - daily news on nuclear, biological and chemical weapons terrorism and related issues.

Country Profiles - overviews and in-depth profiles of selected countries' weapons programs.

Issues & Analysis - introductions and full briefs on a variety of relevant security issues.

Securing the Bomb - comprehensive threat reduction budget data and program analysis.

Source Documents - publications on nonproliferation issues by government agencies and non-governmental organizations.

WMD411 - an information resource on the threats from nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and a range of policy options to reduce these threats.

NTI in Action: Creating an International Nuclear Fuel Bank

To help prevent the spread of uranium enrichment technology, NTI has pledged $50 million to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to help create a low-enriched uranium stockpile to support nations that make the sovereign choice not to build indigenous nuclear fuel cycle capabilities. NTI's funds will be released if the IAEA takes the necessary steps to set up the fuel bank and other nations provide $100 million in matching funds.

As more nations seek nuclear energy, concerns have been raised about the nuclear fuel cycle. The report of the UN High Level Panel on Threats said that "...the proliferation risks from the enrichment of uranium and from the reprocessing of spent fuel are great and increasing."

Former Senator Sam Nunn, Co-Chairman of NTI, said in a speech announcing NTI's pledge, "We envision that this stockpile will be available as a last-resort fuel reserve for nations that have made the sovereign choice to develop their nuclear energy based on foreign sources of fuel supply services-and therefore have no indigenous enrichment facilities. The goal of this proposed initiative is to help make fuel supplies from the international market more secure by offering customer states, that are in full compliance with their nonproliferation obligations, reliable access to a nuclear fuel reserve under impartial IAEA control should their supply arrangements be disrupted. In so doing, we hope to make a state's voluntary choice to rely on this market more secure."

While the idea for a fuel reserve is not new, there has been discussion of it, in some form, for several decades, and it is provided for in the International Atomic Energy Agency's statute. NTI's commitment is intended to help move the discussion from words to deeds in this vital area of nuclear cooperation.

Container of Uranium at the Angarsk Enrichment Plant.
Source: WMSInsights.org

International Nuclear Fuel Bank Developments

Senator Nunn Testifies Before House Committee on Foreign Affairs on Nuclear Weapons Policy and Nuclear Fuel Assurances

Read the testimony May 10, 2007

Nuclear Threat Initiative Commits $50 Million to Create IAEA Nuclear Fuel Bank

Read the news release September 19, 2006
Read the speech by Sam Nunn September 19, 2006
Read the speech by Laura Holgate September 19, 2006
Read The New York Times editorial September 28, 2006

Related Resources

Fuel assurances panel
"Realizing Fuel Assurances" panel participants (left to right):
Laura Holgate, Tariq Rauf, Caroline Jorant, Ambassador Pedro Raul Villagra Delgado
Source: Carnegie Endowment