IAEA Safeguards as the NPT’s Verification Mechanism

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) concludes safeguards agreements with countries to ensure that nuclear material and facilities are not used for the production of nuclear weapons. But how were IAEA safeguards born and how did they come to be the comprehensive verification mechanism for the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)? How did the safeguards system evolve through the years and what challenges does it face today?

VCDNP Non-Resident Senior Fellow John Carlson, with Vladimir Kuchinov and Thomas Shea, address these and other questions in their new paper, published by the Nuclear Threat Initiative: "The IAEA’s Safeguards System as the Non-Proliferation Treaty’s Verification Mechanism".

The authors, each an eminent safeguards expert in his own right, have a century of collective experience between them from both inside and outside the IAEA. On the occasion of the NPT's 50th anniversary, they examine the vital role that safeguards play in the global non-proliferation architecture and the future challenges that the IAEA should be prepared to face.

The paper is available on the NTI website, both in English and in Russian.