Non-proliferation
The non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, in particular nuclear weapons, is one of the most important objectives of the activities carried out in Vienna. In 1995, the international community agreed to extend the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) indefinitely on the premise that nuclear weapons states would strive seriously for total nuclear disarmament and non-nuclear weapon states would forego the nuclear weapons option while securing the right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy without discrimination.
The IAEA is one of the key pillars of the NPT regime. Through its safeguards system it is responsible for verifying that nuclear materials for peaceful purposes are not diverted for military use and that acts of non-compliance, clandestine or otherwise, are detected and rectified. Any cause for suspicion must be totally eliminated. A series of recent challenges to non-proliferation have highlighted the necessity of strengthening the effectiveness and improving the efficiency of the IAEA safeguards system. The IAEA has initiated several steps in this regard, in particular the adoption of the model additional protocol. The additional protocol contributes significantly to the IAEA's safeguards efforts by providing the IAEA with a mechanism for verifying the non-diversion of nuclear materials as well as for reporting on the import and export of nuclear materials and equipment. Japan was one of the first countries to sign and ratify the additional protocol and has taken initiatives to universalize the protocol by assisting the IAEA in organizing a series of regional seminars to promote these efforts.
The non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, in particular nuclear weapons, is one of the most important objectives of the activities carried out in Vienna. In 1995, the international community agreed to extend the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) indefinitely on the premise that nuclear weapons states would strive seriously for total nuclear disarmament and non-nuclear weapon states would forego the nuclear weapons option while securing the right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy without discrimination.
The IAEA is one of the key pillars of the NPT regime. Through its safeguards system it is responsible for verifying that nuclear materials for peaceful purposes are not diverted for military use and that acts of non-compliance, clandestine or otherwise, are detected and rectified. Any cause for suspicion must be totally eliminated. A series of recent challenges to non-proliferation have highlighted the necessity of strengthening the effectiveness and improving the efficiency of the IAEA safeguards system. The IAEA has initiated several steps in this regard, in particular the adoption of the model additional protocol. The additional protocol contributes significantly to the IAEA's safeguards efforts by providing the IAEA with a mechanism for verifying the non-diversion of nuclear materials as well as for reporting on the import and export of nuclear materials and equipment. Japan was one of the first countries to sign and ratify the additional protocol and has taken initiatives to universalize the protocol by assisting the IAEA in organizing a series of regional seminars to promote these efforts.