Vienna: In 2024, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) applied safeguards for 190 States with active safeguards agreements, as detailed in the recently published Safeguards Statement and Background for 2024. This extensive effort involved conducting over 3000 in-field verification activities at more than 1300 nuclear facilities and other locations globally.
According to EMM, the IAEA safeguards are a critical mechanism for verifying that States adhere to their commitments to use nuclear materials and technology exclusively for peaceful purposes. The annual Safeguards Statement articulates the IAEA’s findings and conclusions from its nuclear verification activities throughout the year. This year’s report underscores a continuing trend of increasing nuclear material and facilities under IAEA safeguards, as highlighted by Massimo Aparo, Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Safeguards at the IAEA. The growing global interest in nuclear power for energy diversification points to an expanding workload for the organization.
Throughout 2024, several States made significant amendments to their Small Quantities Protocols (SQPs) to align with revised standard texts. Notably, the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Fiji, Mongolia, Oman, and Sierra Leone updated their SQPs, while Saudi Arabia rescinded its SQP. The IAEA stands ready to assist the remaining 15 States with original SQPs in amending or rescinding their agreements. Furthermore, Timor-Leste saw the activation of a comprehensive safeguards agreement (CSA) and an additional protocol (AP), enhancing the IAEA’s verification capabilities.
In its 2024 conclusions, the IAEA reported that of the 190 States under its purview, 182 had CSAs, with 137 also maintaining APs. The agency confidently concluded that all nuclear material remained in peaceful activities in 75 of these States, marking Morocco’s first receipt of such a conclusion. However, ongoing evaluations in 61 States prevent the IAEA from concluding about undeclared nuclear material. In 31 States with a CSA but no AP, the IAEA verified that declared nuclear material remained for peaceful use.
As the year ended, three non-nuclear-weapon States under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) had not yet enforced CSAs, limiting the IAEA’s ability to draw safeguards conclusions for these States. Meanwhile, in the three States with item-specific safeguards agreements—India, Israel, and Pakistan—the IAEA confirmed the peaceful status of nuclear materials and facilities under its safeguards.
The IAEA also implemented safeguards in the five nuclear-weapon States party to the NPT under voluntary offer agreements. For China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the IAEA verified that nuclear material in selected facilities remained peaceful or was withdrawn under agreement terms.
Aparo emphasized the importance of ongoing member State support to address the challenges and opportunities in international nuclear safeguards implementation. In 2024, the IAEA continued its support for State or regional authorities responsible for implementing safeguards, providing a broad array of training opportunities for professionals in the field.
Additionally, the IAEA launched a new cycle of the COMPASS initiative in 2024, targeting Bangladesh, Bolivia, Cameroon, and Ghana. This Comprehensive Capacity-Building Initiative, launched in 2020, offers tailored assistance to meet each State’s specific safeguards needs.