Libyan nuclear material being loaded on a C-17 cargo aircraft for disposition in the United States. State Dept Image / Jan 27, 2004 / Tripoli, Libya
The U.S. Department of State congratulates the United Kingdom, 2013 Chair of the Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction (GP), as they welcome the Philippines as the 26th member of the GP.
The Philippines' membership marks an important expansion of Southeast Asian representation in the GP, a subsidiary body of the G8, which addresses nuclear and radiological security, biosecurity, chemical security, and scientist engagement, as well as facilitates the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1540 through cooperative projects.
The Global Partnership, now 26 members, began at the 2002 Kananaskis G8 Summit as a 10-year, $20 billion initiative to prevent terrorists or states that support them from acquiring or developing weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
Since then, the Global Partnership has grown to include 26 members and has allocated more than $21 billion world-wide to enhance WMD security to include locking down vulnerable weapons and materials, destroying Russian nuclear submarines and chemical weapons, export controls, and engaging with scientists and other technical experts with knowledge and experience dealing with these items.
At the 2011 G8 Summit in Deauville, leaders agreed to extend the GP beyond 2012 and to make it truly global. The membership of the Philippines is an important step in this progress.
For more information about the Global Partnership, please go to the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation's website: http://www.state.gov/t/isn/
