IAEA Co-ordinated Technical Support Programme to the NIS

With most Newly Independent States (NIS) of the former Soviet Union becoming parties to the Non-Proliferation Treaty as Non-Nuclear Weapon States, there has been an acute need in these states for considerable assistance for the establishment of the necessary structure and resources to ensure that their commitments to non-proliferation are implemented in a full and a timely manner. A number of IAEA Member States have offered and are now providing assistance to the NIS at a bilateral level to set up in each state an appropriate State System of Accounting and Control (SSAC), ImportlExport Control, and Physical Protection of Nuclear Material. The IAEA and several Member States established the Co-ordinated Technical Support Programme (CTSP) to ensure that the support given to the NIS was done in a co-ordinated and transparent manner and to avoid duplication of effort. The IAEA has played a coordinating role for the past 5 years by helping to identify detailed needs in individual States, by providing a platform for Member States to identify areas where they could provide the optimum support and in preparing an outline of the Co-ordinated Technical Support Plan. The IAEA organises a meeting in Vienna, annually, attended by all donor and recipient countries, to review the focus and implementation status of the co-ordinated technical support activities. A position statement is made by each donor and recipient country and views and experiences are exchanges.