December 11, 2015
The James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS), with funding from the State Department’s Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) Program, took the lead in organizing a two-day seminar for Cambodian officials from December 3-4, 2015. CNS partnered with EXBS, the State University of New York in Albany’s Center for Policy Research (CPR), and the US Embassy in Phnom Penh to bring together forty officials in an effort to strengthen nonproliferation awareness and capacity in Cambodia.
US Ambassador William Heidt and H.E. Mr. Chhuon Chanthan, Vice President of Cambodia’s Secretariat of the National Counter-Terrorism Committee, welcomed the participants to the event and opened the seminar. CNS and CPR experts then led numerous sessions aimed at increasing participants’ understanding of global nonproliferation efforts, proliferation challenges to international security, and why these challenges are relevant to Cambodia and other Southeast Asian countries.
The seminar also included discussions about the importance of establishing an effective strategic trade management system in order to meet these current challenges and international obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 1540. In order to highlight the relevance of strategic trade management in the region, CNS and CPR invited three guest speakers to share the experiences of China, Malaysia, and Singapore in building an effective system.