Workshop Report: IAEA Safeguards and the Irreversibility of Nuclear Disarmament

Abstract

This article presents the discussion and conclusions from a workshop hosted by the Verification Research, Training and Information Centre (VERTIC) in February 2023. The workshop convened experts in IAEA safeguards and in nuclear disarmament to discuss the feasibility of applying lessons and tools from the current safeguards system to a future nuclear disarmament scenario. The aim was to probe certain aspects of safeguards which may be relevant in the context of “irreversibility” and evaluate these based on the participants’ knowledge and expertise. The discussion revolved around the following themes: the scope and purpose of verification; the starting point of verification; current verification processes and frameworks such as the State-Level Concept (SLC) and the 1997 Additional Protocol; and the consequences or lack thereof of non-compliance with a future disarmament treaty.

Keywords

• Irreversibility
• nuclear disarmament
• IAEA safeguards