Year
2010
Abstract
The increased co-operation among IAEA and Regional or State Systems for Accountancy and Control (RSAC and SSAC) is a relevant tool for strengthen effectiveness and improving the efficiency of the international safeguards. The international community recognizes that a strong and reliable R/SSAC system improves the efficiency of international safeguards. However, the advantage of that system is not fully used by the IAEA. The new safeguards system that emerges from the application of the Additional Protocol (INFCIRC/540), the renaissance of nuclear power application and the limited resources of the international safeguards systems under the IAEA responsibility are the motivation and the opportunity for effectively incorporate R/SSAC into the international safeguards scheme. The challenges are to develop requirements and conditions that have to be fulfilled by the Regional or State Systems in order to enable the IAEA to confirm on a continuous basis its reliability, technical capability and effectiveness. The IAEA assessment system has also to be well designed to guarantee such conditions. This paper presents some conditions and alternatives that can be explored for the practical incorporation of RSAC into international safeguards considering different levels of co-operation of those systems with the IAEA.