The Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (ABACC) – 25 years of accomplishments and perspectives for the future

The Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (ABACC) is a safeguards agency created by Brazil and Argentina in 1991 with the mission of verifying and providing assurances on the exclusively peaceful use of nuclear energy in these two countries. ABACC is a unique safeguards organization inserted in a nuclear weapons free zone established by the Agreement between the Republic of Argentina and the Federative Republic of Brazil for the exclusively peaceful use of nuclear energy. ABACC model and the safeguards it implements have been recognized on their added value by the international community. ABACC represents an essential component in the Argentine-Brazilian relationship that has been successfully applying safeguards in coordination and cooperation with the IAEA, the States’ Authorities and Operators in two countries with a relatively advance nuclear programmes that were growing along these years in a complex international environment. A kickoff event “ABACC: 25 years of accomplishments and perspectives for the future” was the landmark of the activities for the commemoration of this anniversary of ABACC [1]. This workshop was aimed at reflecting on the main accomplishments and achievements of these first 25 years and the challenges and a vision for the future in two round tables. This paper intends to describe the experience acquired for this regional system and lessons learned that can be useful for other regions in the world by putting in a nutshell the views of some of the key contributors in the process of creation and development of ABACC.