What are nuclear safeguards?
Nuclear safeguards are technical measures applied to verify that nuclear material in peaceful activities is not diverted to nuclear weapons. Implemented in 192 States, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards are an essential component of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime. Here, the nuclear industry plays an important role. Through building safeguards considerations into nuclear facility designs, industry can support effective and efficient verification by IAEA safeguards inspectors.
Nuclear safeguards must remain at the cutting edge of technological developments, especially amid the rapid expansion of the nuclear industry, the emergence of novel reactor designs and a wave of new applications for nuclear technology. These place fresh demands on nuclear verification. To ensure that IAEA safeguards continue to be effective and efficiently implemented, cooperation with industry and regulators is essential.
‘Fostering open exchange’
Against that backdrop, the IAEA Symposium on International Safeguards is making innovation and cooperation with industry a defining theme. Meeting under the title ‘Innovation and Resilience in a Changing World – Safeguards as a Shared Responsibility’, the Symposium will bring policymakers, regulators, industry and IAEA experts together to address opportunities and challenges in nuclear verification.
Massimo Aparo, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Safeguards, says this year’s Safeguards Symposium is taking place at a time when the operating environment is more complex, technologically demanding and financially strained than ever before. “By fostering open exchange, the Symposium provides opportunities for the Department and our stakeholders to identify areas where collaboration can be expanded to ensure that nuclear verification remains robust for years to come.”
Held every four years, the Symposium generates ideas for actions, and reviews progress made since its last edition. The Symposium in 2022 welcomed nearly 1,000 participants from 124 countries.
This year’s programme includes an Industry Night, the dedicated evening event where industry stakeholders can present technologies, showcase research and engage with the global safeguards community. Industry stakeholders are invited to exhibit their services and products, and can reserve exhibition space until 15 August.
“As nuclear energy expands around the world, trust and cooperation will be fundamental to the success of the global nuclear industry,” said Sama Bilbao y León, Director General of World Nuclear Association.
“IAEA Safeguards provide international trust and give governments, investors and communities confidence that nuclear materials are being used only for peaceful purposes. As our industry expands into new countries, new markets and new applications, and develops new technologies, it is essential that professionals across the nuclear sector understand the role of safeguards and work together to implement them effectively to reinforce both non proliferation objectives and deployment realities. The Symposium is a confidence-building and stabilising forum that allows the IAEA, industry, and relevant stakeholders to strengthen their mutual understanding and collaboration to promote effective and efficient safeguards implementation in support of the expected growth of peaceful nuclear activities globally.”
The Symposium will also feature a dedicated training day, giving industry professionals and representatives from newcomer countries an opportunity to deepen their understanding of safeguards requirements and meet IAEA experts – and provide engineers, designers and project managers with practical insights into applying safeguards requirements to current and next-generation reactor designs and technologies.
Linked to this will be the central focus on ‘Safeguards by Design’, which provides guidance to State authorities, designers, equipment providers and prospective purchasers on the importance of taking international safeguards into account when designing a nuclear facility or process. It is applicable to all aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle, from initial planning and design through construction, operation, waste management and decommissioning.
Safeguards by Design has several advantages for both the industry and the IAEA. It enables informed design choices for effective and efficient safeguards implementation and ultimately reduces the operational burden and mitigates the risk of costly retrofitting. For new nuclear facilities, especially novel designs or processes, the earlier safeguards are considered the better: Safeguards by Design allows for safeguards to be built ‘into’ the system, rather than around it afterwards.
The fifteenth IAEA Symposium on International Safeguards will be held from 9 to 12 November 2026, at the Vienna International Centre in Vienna, Austria. Registration and further information are available on the . This article was also co-authored by the IAEA’s Haley Mead, Adem Mutluer and Wolfgang Picot.
