PNNL

Abstract

The paper will be of interest to those involved in implementing the 1997 protocol additional to safeguards agreements and especially to those preparing Additional Protocol submissions. The paper addresses some features of the computer system used by the IAEA Safeguards Division to manage documents and activities related to the Additional Protocol. The Agency provides a software program called the ‘Protocol Reporter’ to assist with compiling a Member State’s submission. However, the Member State is free to use its own software or to provide a hardcopy submission. The IAEA Additional Protocol System is the software that processes the submission once it received from the Member State and in an electronic format. The core components of the Additional Protocol System are in place and being used by the Safeguards Division. Others components are under construction or planned. Flexibility is a key design characteristic of the Additional Protocol System. While there are guidelines as to the structure of Additional Protocol declarations, there are no hard and fast rules. This means that a declaration’s structure can vary across Member States and even within a Member State over time. Flexibility is also necessary because the Agency is evolving its process as more experience is gained. The Agency requires a system that can adapt and grow as the process evolves and that can handle differing needs across the three Safeguards Operations groups and even within a Country Team. The paper describes some of the flexibility built into the system. The paper also describes how access control is implemented so that Country Officers can control access to this highly sensitive data and restrict access to a very granular level.