Verification and Monitoring projects

The Additional Protocol

Funder
UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Project updates

  • 01/04/2012: Project start date.
  • 08/05/2012: Project presentation to the NPT PrepCom in Vienna. Consultations with prospective client governments.
  • 01/08/2012: Compilation of resources for states completed. This compilation includes: international agreements, contact information for assistance providers, ratification and implementation resources, and related documents. See sidebar for more information.
  • 17-21/09/2012: Consultations with prospective governments at IAEA General Conference.
  • 01/11/2012: Country assessments begun.
  • 30/01/2013: Project produces VERTIC fact sheet on the National Implementation Measures of the Additional Protocol.
  • 19/04/2013: Project produces a French version of VERTIC fact sheet on the National Implementation Measures of the Additional Protocol.
  • 24/05/2013: Project presentation to the 5th plenary of the Forum of Nuclear Regulatory Bodies in Africa (FNRBA) in Hammamet, Tunisia.
  • 17-21/09/2013: outreach activties conducted at IAEA General Conference, including a presentation on the work of the project held at the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, a reception at the IAEA and engagement with stakeholders attending the conference throughout the week.
  • 15-18/12/2013: First in-country assistance visit conducted (Cote d’Ivoire).
  • January 2014: Preparations for subsequent assistance visits begun.
  • 10-11 March 2014: Second in-country assistance visit conducted (Senegal).
  • 10/07/2014: Project produces a Russian version of VERTIC fact sheet on the National Implementation Measures of the Additional Protocol.
  • 04-08/08/2014: VERTIC participates in and presents at 2nd International Workshop on Additional Protocol Implemetation, Argonne Laboratory, USA. This meeting comprised officials from a wide range of countries, as well as the IAEA and various US national laboratories.
  • 19/08/2014: Project produces an Arabic version of VERTIC fact sheet on the National Implementation Measures of the Additional Protocol.
  • 16-17/09/2014: Third in-country assistance visit conducted (Ethiopia).
  • 23/10/2014: VERTIC presents on its database of safeguards implementation approaches at the 2014 IAEA Safeguards Symposium in Vienna, Austria.
  • 14-15/01/2015: Fourth in-country assistance visit conducted (Cameroon).
  • 12/05/2015: VERTIC presents on international engagement on nuclear safeguards at the 2015 NPT Review Conference in New York.
  • 28-29/01/2016: Fifth in-country assistance visit conducted (Zambia).

Background
The Additional Protocol was adopted in 1997 to address limitations in the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement approach. However, uptake of the instrument has been slow. Several factors lie behind this. States’ attitudes towards safeguards have become increasingly politicized. But there also seems to be a lack of understanding about what signing up to the protocol involves. This project will actively attempt to improve levels of understanding and to promote ratification and implementation.

In 2011, VERTIC carried out a pilot project to assess the level of demand for assistance from us on the protocol. We targeted nine countries and had a positive response from the majority of the country delegates that we approached. There is a need to continue engaging with governments and to prepare assistance tools for them.   Employing an NGO to provide this assistance adds value to the project because such organizations can act independently of political and diplomatic constraints that might hinder states in this endeavour. As the IAEA’s own handbook on ‘Guidance for States Implementing Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements and Additional Protocols’ (2012) notes: ‘States and non-governmental organizations (professional societies, international organizations) are important sources of assistance and advice on safeguards implementation “good practice.”‘ NGOs can bring a flexible approach and VERTIC, in particular, can bring a significant level of dedicated expertise on the subject.

Other Additional Protocol facilitation activities: several countries and organisations offer assistance to states to support the development of effective and efficient measures to implement the additional protocol. VERTIC works with a number of these bodies to keep each other informed of our activities to ensure consistency and complementarity of approaches and to avoid any duplication. Where possible, VERTIC also aims to collaborate with these organisations to provide enhanced facilitation activities on additional protocol ratification and implementation.

Key activities

  • Production of ratification and implementation packages.
  • Production of outreach products.
  • Up to nine country assessments surveying administrative conditions, fuel cycle factors, status of international obligations, and relevant national legislation.
  • Technical Assistance Visits (TAVs).

Resources

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