July 16, 2010

1. The Japan-Belarus Committee on Cooperation in the field of Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (hereinafter the Japan-Belarus Committee) has decided to provide funds up to 90 million Japanese yen (approx. 1 million USD) for implementation of the Project “Modernization of the System to Deter the Illicit Trafficking of Nuclear and Radioactive Materials at State Borders of the Republic of Belarus”. The signing ceremony for the Project was held on July 2, 2010 in Minsk between the Japan-Belarus Committee and the State Border Committee of the Republic of Belarus (implementing organization).
2. The Project is aimed at establishing comprehensive measures to detect, interdict and respond to the illicit trafficking of nuclear and radioactive materials at the state borders of the Republic of Belarus, including the following measures:
   1) organizing the immediate and efficient operational response to radiological incidents at the border checkpoints including the airport ones;
   2) facilitating the strategic response to radiological incidents with serious security and health concerns;
   3) supporting the integrated database of illicit trafficking of nuclear and radioactive materials at the borders;
   4) strengthening the radiation safety of the border guard staff engaged in patrol of the border areas contaminated by the Chernobyl catastrophe and the local inhabitants in the area;
   5) increasing the radiation detection capabilities at the local-traffic border checkpoints, water border sites, aviation patrol areas and “green borders” ;
   6) and enhancing the proficiency of the border guard specialists in radiation security and countermeasures against the illicit trafficking of nuclear and radioactive materials.
   (Note) Green borders: unattended areas between established border checkpoints.
3. The major elements of the Project are as follows.
   1) Two mobile operational response laboratories equipped with advanced radiation detectors, spectrometers and communication devices will be provided to the Gomel and Pinsk Border Guard Departments.
   2) One mobile strategic operational response laboratory equipped with advanced radiation detectors, spectrometers and communication devices will be provided to the State Border Committee Headquarters in Minsk.
   3) One mobile radiometric laboratory furnished with a whole body counter and gamma radioactivity monitors will be supplied to the Pinsk Border Guard Department
   4) The state-of-art geo-information system for radiation monitoring will be introduced to the headquarters and 7 regional border guard departments.
   5) Advanced handheld radiation detectors will be provided for border radiation monitoring in 34 local-traffic checkpoints, water border sites, aviation patrol areas and “green borders”.
   6) Advanced radiation detectors and spectrometers will be supplied to the newly-established Border Guard Institute for training of the border guard specialists.

Republic of Belarus	Radiation detection at border checkpoints	Green borders