IAEA Safeguards Assessments

The safeguards programme administered by the IAEA must provide assurance to the international community that agency safeguards has the capacity to deter diversion, if contemplated, to detect diversion, if undertaken, and to provide assurance that no diversions have occurred when none are detected. This assurance to the international community is based upon the capability of the Agency's safeguards programme to detect diversion and its complementary effect of deterrance. Realising that there are often limitations encountered in the implementation of Agency safeguards, for example in access rights, manpower, budget and technology, the IAEA has found it necessary to develop a methodology for performing assessments of the safeguards programme to make certain that the assurance provided to the international community is technically sound. The methodology is intended to serve as a management aid, especially for design reviews, inspection planning, resource allocation and performance evaluation. Further, the methodology will provide an objective format for communicating more clearly the effectiveness achieved through the actual implementation of safeguards.