Strengthening Nuclear Safeguards

The 2000 NPT Review Conference urged all concerned NPT States to bring into force comprehensive safeguards agreements with the IAEA as soon as possible. It endorsed the measures contained in the Model Additional Protocol, and encouraged all NPT States, in particular those with substantial nuclear programmes, to conclude additional protocols and bring them into force or provisionally apply them as soon as possible. It proposed a possible plan of action, to promote and facilitate the conclusion and entry into force of such safeguards agreements and additional protocols.

The same year, the IAEA's General Conference outlined five "elements" of such an Action Plan, including intensified efforts by the Director General to conclude safeguards agreements and additional protocols, assistance by the IAEA and Member States on the implementation of additional protocols, and reinforced coordination of these efforts.

Guided by this mandate and its own outreach plan, the IAEA has been engaged since 2001 in an ambitious programme to inform national decision-makers about the policy, legal and technical aspects of the strengthened safeguards system.

The aim is to conclude, by the end of 2005, safeguards agreements with many of remaining NPT parties, and additional protocols with the majority of States and almost all States with significant nuclear activities. A number of States have assisted in these efforts through extrabudgetary contributions and in-kind support, including Australia, Burkina Faso, China, Finland, France, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Namibia, Peru, South Africa, Sweden, the United States and Uzbekistan. Japan has taken a leading role in international outreach efforts.

More than 150 States have been engaged in consultations on the conclusion of safeguards agreements and additional protocols through IAEA regional, interregional and national seminars since December 2001.

In the IAEA Secretariat's estimation, remaining obstacles encountered by States to the conclusion of safeguards agreements and additional protocols can be divided into four groups:

1. Technical factors, including the need to establish a functioning State System of Accountancy for and Control of Nuclear Material (SSAC).
2. Legal factors, such as the lack of understanding of the legislative requirements of safeguards agreements and additional protocols.
3. Administrative factors, for instance a lack of working relations between the line ministry dealing with International Atomic Energy Agency affairs and Government officials responsible for the conclusion of international agreements.
4. Policy factors, such as competing priorities and the expectation of economic or security benefits "in return for" the conclusion of safeguards agreements and additional protocols.

Since the 2000 NPT Review Conference, 14 States have brought into force comprehensive safeguards agreements and 55 States party to the NPT have brought into force additional protocols. At the start of 2005, 40 NPT States had outstanding obligations to bring into force safeguards agreements.

About half of the NPT States have submitted additional protocols for signature. Though still below expectations in the late 1990s, the accelerated rate of adherence to the strengthened safeguards system is a key area where progress has been achieved since the last Review Conference.

For more information visit: Action Plan 2004