The Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material was adopted on 26 October 1979 in Vienna, Austria.
The initial signing ceremony took place in Vienna and at New York on 3 March 1980, and the convention entered into force on 8 February 1987.
Upon accession, 38 countries declared themself as not bound by the provisions of Article 17 paragraph 2 and did not accept the competence of the International Court of Justice in settlement of the disputes.
It also establishes a general framework for cooperation among states in the protection, recovery, and return of stolen nuclear material.
Further, the Convention lists certain serious offenses involving nuclear material which state parties are to make punishable and for which offenders shall be subject to a system of extradition or submission for prosecution.