SAGSI: ITS ROLE AND CONTRIBUTION TO SAFEGUARDS DEVELOPMENT

The Standing Advisory Group on Safeguards Implementation, usually known by its acronym SAGSI, comprises a group of safeguards experts – currently 17 – from IAEA Member States, appointed by the IAEA Director General to advise on safeguards implementation issues. SAGSI was established in 1975, following the introduction of the IAEA’s comprehensive safeguards system pursuant to the NPT. SAGSI performs a number of important functions, including providing: an external perspective and source of advice for the IAEA Secretariat; a means of sounding out the views of governments and industry on safeguards issues; and a channel for explaining the rationale for safeguards developments. SAGSI has made a major contribution to the evolution of the IAEA’s safeguards system. In the early years, amongst other things, SAGSI was instrumental in developing safeguards design parameters such as the significant quantity, establishing timeliness goals, and developing the format for reporting on safeguards performance in the IAEA’s Safeguards Implementation Report. Following the 1991 Gulf War, SAGSI, in collaboration with safeguards technical experts both within and outside the IAEA, helped to develop the strengthened safeguards measures in “Programme 93+2”. These ideas and concepts for the strengthened safeguards system eventually led to the introduction of “Part I” measures under existing agreements, and then the “Part II” measures set out in the Additional Protocol. More recently, SAGSI has played a significant role in working with the IAEA to conceptualize and develop integrated safeguards facility approaches and the State Level Approach to safeguards implementation. The author was the Chairman of SAGSI from 2001 to 2006. This paper discusses SAGSI’s work, particularly during this period, and outlines some issues for the future development of safeguards.