Workshop on the Legal and Operational Foundations of the International Nuclear Non-Proliferation Regime

NRRC Organizes Workshop on the Legal and Operational Foundations of the International Nuclear Non-Proliferation Regime

The Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Commission (NRRC) organized a workshop entitled “The Legal and Operational Foundations of the International Nuclear Non-Proliferation Regime” on 21–22 April 2026, with the participation of a number of relevant national entities. The workshop reflected the NRRC’s commitment to deepening national understanding of the legal, regulatory, and operational frameworks governing the nuclear non-proliferation regime, and to enhancing awareness of compliance requirements and implementation mechanisms at both the national and international levels. Participants included representatives from the General Intelligence Presidency, the National Security Center, the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense represented by the General Staff, the Prince Saud Al-Faisal Institute for Diplomatic Studies, and the Presidency of State Security, in addition to specialists from the Kingdom’s Permanent Missions to international organizations in Vienna, Geneva, and New York, who joined remotely.

On its first day, the workshop focused on the international non-proliferation framework, through a review of the origins and evolution of the global non-proliferation and disarmament architecture, as well as the contemporary challenges associated with it. It also addressed the national legal and operational regulatory framework and its role in non-proliferation, highlighting the relationship between international requirements and the ways in which they are translated into national frameworks. In addition, the programme covered non-proliferation in nuclear reactor design, as well as nuclear material protection, control and accountancy in light of the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and the related regulatory and technical requirements. These themes reflected the close interrelationship between the legal, regulatory, and technical dimensions of this field, and underscored the importance of developing an integrated understanding of the regime as a multilayered international and national framework.

On the second day, the workshop moved to issues more directly connected to operational and security requirements and national implementation mechanisms. The programme included sessions on the nuclear fuel cycle in the context of non-proliferation, and on the national experience in implementing non-proliferation commitments and consolidating national compliance, thereby highlighting the institutional and implementation dimensions of international obligations. The workshop also addressed the United Nations disarmament machinery and the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in a manner that clarified the broader international structure governing this field. The programme concluded with a session devoted to United Nations Security Council resolution 1540 and its complementarity with the non-proliferation regime, highlighting the link between UN resolutions and national frameworks for regulation, implementation, and compliance, as well as their role in supporting international efforts aimed at preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, related materials, and their acquisition by non-state actors.

The workshop reaffirmed the importance of continuing efforts to foster a shared national understanding of the legal, operational, and security foundations of the nuclear non-proliferation regime, to deepen coordination among the relevant entities, and to develop more integrated approaches to addressing international obligations and their implementation at the national level. It also reflected the NRRC’s commitment to contributing to national efforts aimed at strengthening compliance, enhancing institutional readiness, and promoting regulatory and oversight practices that are consistent with the relevant international frameworks.