The IAEA Comprehensive Capacity-building Initiative For SSACs And SRAs (COMPASS): Vision, Approach And Current Status

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is mandated by its founding statute to establish and administer safeguards, and to apply safeguards at the request of the parties to any bilateral or multilateral arrangement, or at the request of a State to any of that State’s activities in the field of atomic energy. Comprehensive safeguards agreements confer upon the Agency the right and obligation to ensure that safeguards are applied on all nuclear material in all peaceful nuclear activities, while also obligating States to establish and maintain a system of accounting for and control of nuclear material (SSAC). The establishment of an SSAC involves broad areas of work, ranging from creating a State or regional authority responsible for safeguards implementation (SRA) to developing an appropriate legal and regulatory framework, and establishing systems and procedures for the accounting and control of nuclear material. The SRA should be equipped with the necessary resources and technical capabilities so as to implement the requirements of the State’s safeguards agreement and, if applicable, additional protocol. Over the years, the IAEA Department of Safeguards has provided States with extensive support in safeguards implementation, including through training and advisory service (ISSAS) missions. With a view to further supporting States’ efforts to establish and sustain effective SSACs and SRAs, in September 2020, the Director General launched COMPASS - the IAEA Comprehensive Capacity-Building Initiative for SSACs and SRAs. Six States currently participate in COMPASS’ pilot phase. COMPASS builds upon existing IAEA support to provide optimized assistance tailored to a State’s needs, including customized training, safeguards equipment, IT hardware and software, and legal and regulatory support, as well as engagement at senior and technical levels to raise safeguards awareness among national stakeholders. Following a joint SRA/SSAC needs assessment, a comprehensive assistance package is developed in consultation with designated officials to help the State strengthen its capacity to implement safeguards. This paper will discuss how COMPASS can further support States’ efforts to establish and sustain effective SSACs and SRAs, and present the current status of the initiative.