Perspectives on Regulatory Design and Development for Transport Security of Nuclear and other Radioactive Materials

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recognizes that foundation of a robust nuclear security regime are regulations that addresses security of nuclear material and other radioactive material in transport. While the IAEA provides recommendations and guidance for security of materials in transport through the Nuclear Security Series (NSS) documents, the challenge of integrating those recommendations into Member States’ national legal frameworks is complex. Specifically, the development of transport security regulations requires coordination between both legal and technical experts within a given competent authority, multiple governmental agencies, and input from transport operators and other stakeholders. In addition to these interactions, the regulations must reflect the legal traditions of the Member States so as to fit within their national legal framework. Recognizing the challenge, the IAEA has requested input from international legal and technical experts to develop a methodology for drafting regulations on transport security of nuclear materials and other radioactive material. This paper discusses the progress made so far in developing the methodology and providing perspectives on the need for transport security regulations and the challenges associated with their development. Ultimately, the goal of this paper is to introduce the methodology proposed by the IAEA and provide the opportunity to discuss the methodology with those Member States still needing support in developing their transport security regulations.