Iaea Safeguards - Serving Nuclear Non-proliferation

The objective of IAEA Safeguards is to deter the spread of nuclear weapons by the early detection of the misuse of nuclear material or technology.

Recently an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts said France has significantly strengthened its regulatory framework for nuclear and radiation safety. The team found that 14 of the 16 recommendations made by the 2014 mission had been implemented. “I am especially happy that the IAEA made it possible to gather together a strong team with high skill levels to appraise the efforts made by ASN (Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire), after the full scope mission performed in 2014,” ASN Chairman Pierre-Franck Chevet said. However, the IAEA is not always able to efficiently enable its safeguards. This may be due to lack of communication with countries or in a few cases, countries persist the implementation of such rules and regulations in order to further advance with their nuclear weaponry and technology. The delegate of France believes that the nation is acting responsibly while cooperating with the IAEA regarding Nuclear Energy. An example could be taken of the agreement made between France and the IAEA in the end of 2013, which aims to improve Nuclear education and training.

Article III of the Non-Proliferation Treaty requires the application of IAEA safeguards to all non-nuclear weapon States party to that Treaty and furthermore foresees that these requirements can be met by the States either individually or together with other States. Another example is the Euratom Treaty which is one of the treaties establishing the European Community. The IAEA can work with such treaties and different governmental projects in order to implement its safeguards in different countries and to ensure its effectiveness. Moreover, as a nuclear-weapons state under the NPT, France maintains the world’s third largest nuclear arsenal, estimated to include 300 nuclear warheads. The IAEA has also adopted many strategies to improve the efficiency of its safeguards. First is by strengthening cooperation’s and partnerships with different countries to ensure safe implementation. Another is by participating in international efforts such as INPRO to increase nuclear facilities’ resistance to proliferation. Nevertheless, Research and development (R&D) is also important in safeguards approaches, procedures, techniques and training, carried out with the assistance of Member State Support Programmes (MSSPs), and essential to meeting future safeguards challenges.

Apart from situations addressed by the Additional Protocol, the greatest risk of nuclear weapons proliferation lies with countries which have not joined the NPT and which have significant unsafeguarded nuclear activities. Apart from situations addressed by the Additional Protocol, the greatest risk of nuclear weapons proliferation lies with countries which have not joined the NPT and which have significant unsafeguarded nuclear activities. However, the IAEA has set rules which aim to overcome these concerns and is continuously striving to achieve an NPT with all countries agreeing by the safeguards to be implemented. To conclude, IAEA safeguards are an essential component of the international security system and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is the centerpiece of global efforts to prevent the further spread of nuclear weapons. The government of France and its authorities have played a major role in achieving the implementation of Nuclear safeguards in France; which primarily portray the strong cooperation between France and IAEA.