ISTC and IAEA Agree to Increase Cooperation

The International Science and Technology Center (ISTC) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have signed an agreement to increase cooperation between the two organizations. The Memorandum of Understanding, signed in Vienna on 22 October, proposes that attention be given to creating projects in the areas of research and development of applications, as well as technologies that may contribute to the IAEA’s activities in verification and nuclear security. Training and capacity building will also be an area of development.

In a follow up meeting on 15 December 2008 at ISTC headquarters in Moscow, specific areas of cooperation were agreed. These include:

An assessment of the next generation surveillance system;

The development of virtual reality tools for safeguards training;

Satellite imagery analysis, including optical and radar remote sensing for detecting nuclear sites and activities; and

A focus on knowledge management in nuclear technology.

Collaboration has special relevance in this period of Nuclear Renaissance when new civilian nuclear energy plants are planned. Today, nuclear energy provides 16% of the world’s electricity, but demand for energy is rapidly increasing and could double by 2050. At the same time, CO2 emissions must be reduced globally and various policy decisions, for example in the framework of the Kyoto Protocol, have been taken and individual countries are now seriously considering the environmental effects of energy production.

As a result of the increased used of nuclear energy, extra vigilance is required to ensure that high-risk materials, technologies and know-how are not used in an inappropriate and unauthorized manner. The human factor is a key element of an effective non-proliferation regime although as yet few programs exist to ensure the promotion of a ‘culture of responsibility’. ISTC works to instill such a culture.

Strengthening nuclear nonproliferation activities in the context of the global expansion of nuclear energy requires intensive international collaboration. ISTC has been successful in developing initiatives and projects that strengthen the ability to track, control, and protect nuclear materials, and ISTC’s close cooperation with IAEA looks to promote continued vigilance and shared best practices in this period of nuclear renaissance.

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