Year
2014
Abstract
Developing human resources in the fields of nuclear nonproliferation and safeguards (SGs) is critical to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy. While more and more people are retiring from nuclear energy fields in nuclear developed countries, the interest in nuclear energy is growing in some other countries. As a result, the shortfall of human resources in such fields presents a serious challenge. It has, therefore, become important to develop human resources as quickly as possible. With long experience in implementing Japan’s nuclear nonproliferation policy, JAEA has been contributing since the 1990s to international human resource development (HRD). JAEA’s efforts have been mainly for Asian countries in the areas of SGs and State Systems of Accounting for and Control of Nuclear Material (SSAC) to support the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) SGs activities. More than 300 people from about 40 countries have joined the training courses organized by the Integrated Support Center for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Nuclear Security (ISCN) of JAEA. These courses use lectures, workshops, group discussions, and facility tours to teach knowledge of the basic concepts of IAEA SGs, SSAC requirements, and SGs tools to government officials who are responsible for SGs implementation and to operators who are engaged in nuclear material accounting and control. Based on Japan’s statement at the 2010 Nuclear Security Summit, the ISCN was established in December 2010. ISCN places top priority on providing support for the development of future leaders, the development of legal and regulatory infrastructure, and the fostering of nuclear nonproliferation culture. The training course on SGs and SSAC plays a significant role in this regard. For further advancement, ISCN also examines the current situations of the Asian nations that ISCN supports, based on discussions made between the Japanese government and the IAEA. It works on formulating new training courses that focus on specific themes, such as non-destructive assay (NDA) training and table-top exercises for complementary access (CA) under the Additional Protocol (AP), identified through needs surveys. In summary, ISCN of JAEA is committed to HRD in the field of SGs and SSAC, and works closely with governmental organizations in Japan, and with other Asian countries, the IAEA, the US Department of Energy (DOE), the European Commission (EC), the Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia (FNCA), and the Asia-Pacific Safeguards Network (APSN).