Resource Requirements
Despite a regular increase in the amount of material and the number of facilities to be safeguarded, IAEA Member States have applied a policy of zero real growth to the lAEA's budget, which has not increased in real terms since 1985. The 1993 budget for safeguards is US $65 million (see chart: Growth in the Amount of Nuclear Material under IAEA Safeguards and the Number of Safeguards Staff). At the same time, a number of Member States continue to offer valuable voluntary support to safeguards in the form of expertise, equipment and analytical services.
In 1993 the lAEA's Department of Safeguards consisted of approximately 280 professional staff and 200 general staff. Of these 480, approximately 200 were inspectors; the rest carried out a variety of supporting activities. Approximately 2000 individual inspections were carried out at 490 facilities and other locations. The material safeguarded was enough to make approximately 65,000 nuclear explosive devices, although it must be noted that most of the material was not in a form which could be used for this purpose without considerable further processing.
Looking to the future, the increase in the amount of material under safeguards, the expected requirement to apply safeguards under additional expected comprehensive safeguards agreements (e.g. in the newly independent States of the former USSR), and enhanced measures to detect undeclared nuclear activities in States with comprehensive safeguards agreements will all require additional resources. These will be sought from savings or elsewhere to ensure that there is no diminution in either the effectiveness of the safeguards system or the confidence that States are complying with their non-proliferation commitments.
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