IAEA safeguards symposium opens with focus on innovation, resilience, shared responsibility

VIENNA, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Monday opened its 15th Symposium on International Safeguards in Vienna, with discussions focusing on innovation, resilience and safeguards as a shared responsibility in a changing world.

This photo taken on May 15, 2023 shows the logo of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria. (File photo: Xinhua)

Since the last symposium in 2022, the safeguards system has seen rapid technological advancements, renewed interest in nuclear energy and its applications, shifting geopolitical dynamics, and unprecedented safety and security risks to safeguards operations in the field, the agency said in a news release.

"Our operating environment is undergoing significant changes that are testing our resilience and challenging us to be more innovative," said Massimo Aparo, IAEA deputy director general and head of the Department of Safeguards, urging all parties, including policymakers, industry, civil society and the safeguards workforce, to keep the safeguards system resilient.

Aparo also highlighted progress since the last symposium, including closer collaboration with industry and regulators to design nuclear technologies with safeguards in mind, the completion of the first regular cycle of the comprehensive capacity-building initiative COMPASS, and continued development of equipment used by inspectors in the field.

According to a video shown at the opening, the IAEA in 2025 conducted nearly 3,000 in-field verifications in 191 states, collected nearly 1,000 samples, maintained nearly 1,400 surveillance cameras, acquired more than 2,800 commercial satellite images and verified more than 24,000 seals.

The symposium, held every four years, brought together around 1,000 participants from more than 100 countries and 20 international organizations.