Abstract
The Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) process has not only helped raise the level of awareness about the significance of nuclear security it has also sensitized the leadership at the highest political levels in key countries and multilateral organizations of the need to achieve highest possible standards of nuclear security. As a consequence the idea of establishing Centers of Excellence (CsOE) for the promotion of nuclear security culture at national, regional and international levels has also been brought into the limelight. However, it will be unfair to ascribe the origin of the concept of CsOE to the NSS, since a few centers were already functioning even before the first NSS in April 2010, while some others were at various stages of development. These included the World Institute of Nuclear Security (WINS), which was established in 2008, the US assisted COE in Brazil and UK’s announcement of its intention to set up a COE in 2009. The EU, as part of its CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) Action Plan had announced its COE venture in 2009, though the process of setting up these centers started in earnest in 2010. The IAEA on its part was already assisting six countries including Colombia, Ghana, Malaysia, Morocco, Pakistan and Tanzania in establishing their nuclear security centres, while a seventh centre was opened at Obninsk, Russia in 2011. IAEA’s future plans include setting up seven more centres in Chile, Cuba, Turkey, Kazakhstan, South Africa, the Philippines and Jordan. The NSS initiative has undoubtedly given a new fillip to the idea of nuclear security CsOE and has helped delineate their objectives, which is evident from the joint communique issued at the end of the Washington NSS in April 2010.