Safeguards Implementation By Abacc During The Covid-19 Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic imposed unprecedent challenges to the safety of the world. All aspects of human activities were severely affected. As many others, the activities aiming at verifying the commitment assumed by relevant States with respect to the regime of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons had to be somehow adapted to keep accomplishing their objectives. In this context, safeguards field inspections are an important tool implemented by national, regional and international nuclear safeguards authorities over the world to deliver on their mandates and ensure that nuclear materials and activities are properly under control and in compliance with the undertakings assumed by the States. The Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (ABACC) is a bilateral organization created by Argentina and Brazil in 1991 to verify that all nuclear materials in all nuclear activities conducted in the two countries are used exclusively for peaceful purposes. To comply with this objective, ABACC implements a Common System of Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (SCCC). The duties of ABACC include routine and intense interactions with the Department of Safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), relevant State Authorities and facility Operators of Argentina and Brazil for planning and coordinating several verification activities, in particular the conduction of field inspections at nuclear facilities in the two countries. In order to achieve the verification objectives under the limitations imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the parties had to discuss and implement especial procedures in areas such as administration, logistics and management. As result, in 2020 ABACC was able to successfully conduct all essential field inspections in the two countries, with appropriate health and safety conditions of its staff, as well as personnel from the other involved institutions. This paper describes the lessons learnt by ABACC after this unprecedent period and highlights the importance of multilateral cooperation as a fundamental mechanism to help overcoming difficult times.