THE CHANGING ROLE OF SAFEGUARDS INSPECTORS

The IAEA Board of Governors approved the Model Protocol Additional to Safeguards Agreements, INFCIRC/540, (referred to as the Additional Protocol) in May 1997. The Additional Protocol provides for new mechanisms that include expanded information on State’s nuclear activities to be declared to the IAEA and increased physical access to locations for IAEA inspectors. Given the expanded capability under the additional protocol for the Agency to draw conclusions regarding the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities, Safeguards Department staff have had to broaden their outlook with respect to all safeguards activities being conducted. Beyond verification of nuclear material, inspectors are being called upon to conduct a wider range of activities, with more emphasis on observation of indicators of a State’s nuclearrelated activities and consideration of the consistency of the other information with a State’s declarations. This includes consideration of how the evaluation of all information available to the Agency affects the planning and prioritizing of future safeguards activities, for example in resolving questions or inconsistencies in the declared information or selecting locations for conducting complementary access. The implementation of strengthened safeguards and the additional protocol has led to a need to institutionally change the roles of many staff members in the various Safeguards Divisions and increase the interaction between the Divisions to most effectively draw State-level conclusions regarding the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities.