Strengthening international security: Argentina's approach to capacity building in nuclear export control

In the early 2000s, the rise of non-state actors and their potential acquisition of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) posed a novel and significant challenge to global security, requiring immediate and strengthened response strategies. On April 28, 2004, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1540 (UNSCR1540), filling a gap in the nonproliferation regime by addressing the threat of terrorism and the risk that non-state actors might acquire, develop, traffic in or use nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and their means of delivery. The resolution obligates all states to refrain from providing any form of support to non-state actors that attempt to develop, acquire, manufacture, possess, transport, transfer or use WMD and their means of delivery and imposes legally binding obligations on all states to adopt appropriate effective measures toward this objective. Among others, the UNSCR1540 “identifies the necessary elements of effective national export controls: legal basis, enforcement capacity, and industry-government relations”i. In an age of new technology and global tensions, the implementation of robust export controls, a crucial element within the framework of nuclear security and nonproliferation, attains renewed importance. Through follow-up resolutions states were encouraged to prepare national implementation action plans to map out their priorities and plans for implementing key provisions of resolution 1540 (2004). In the case of Argentina, the National Implementation Action Plan submitted to the 1540 Committee, focused on effective export control systems and referred to training, outreach and cooperation activities, as pillars on which such systems must be based.  In particular, the Nuclear Regulatory Authority is the national government agency in charge of regulating nuclear activities in Argentina and has a specific role within the national export control regime; it is a member of the National Control Commission of Sensitive Exports and War Material (CONCESYMB) and is part of the working group in charge of coordinating on capacity building initiatives on this matter. The paper provides an overview of the existing nuclear export controls implemented in Argentina, with a specific emphasis on training and outreach activities conducted since 2017, with aim of sharing of experiences, lessons learned and effective practices in one of the areas covered by UNSCR1540.