MY EXPERIENCES AT THE IAEA - MAINLY ON THE R & D OF NUCLEAR SAFEGUARDS

The IAEA requires constant development of safeguards instruments, procedures and techniques to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its safeguards implementation, as well as to meet rapid changes which have taken place in the nuclear energy industry of the world. Most development work is done by the Member States in the form of Safeguards Support Programmes, rather than by the Agency Secretariat itself. The author briefly describes the fruitful and essential results of the Support Programmes, and also explains the effort spent by the Agency to coordinate such activities. Currently 13 Member States operate Support Programme activities, and about 270 tasks are active. Better and more efficient ways of coordination are required in the environment of ever increasing demands and reducing resources of the Agency. The author would like to comment on such future efforts and also to make several remarks on his experience as coordinator of such activities working in an international environment.