Under Secretary Jenkins’s Press Statement Following Proliferation Security Initiative African Political Meeting and Outreach Event Opening Ceremonies

Hello, I am Bonnie Jenkins, the Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security from the United States’ Department of State. I would like to thank the Kingdom of Morocco under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI for hosting today’s meeting, the largest Proliferation Security Initiative event ever held in Africa. I would also like to thank all the distinguished colleagues who have joined us today from 25 African countries and ten other PSI endorsing states. It is so great to be here with you all.

The Proliferation Security Initiative, or PSI, is an informal initiative of like-minded countries who have all voluntarily agreed to counter the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), its means of delivery, or related materials.

Each endorsing country acts within its own national authorities, international law, and political willingness to support the principles of interdiction in stopping WMD and related materials.

Currently, 106 endorsing states from all over the globe have agreed to these principles. The common goal of PSI countries, as expressed in the Joint Statement issued at the 20th Anniversary High-Level Political Meeting in May 2023 in Jeju, Republic of Korea, is to ensure that all countries around the world including in Africa and that are committed to counterproliferation, endorse and actively participate in the Initiative.

Africa is the least represented continent among PSI endorsing states, and it has long been a priority of mine to increase our security cooperation with the nations of Africa. We hope the information shared during this meeting improves each country’s own interagency capabilities and further increases the international cooperation among these nations. And yes, we hope to gain endorsers and grow the community of nations pledged to counter the proliferation of WMD.

The United States looks forward to the PSI outreach event and our future collaboration with partners.

Thank you.