Finnish Support Programme to the IAEA Safeguards 1988 - 2013: Importance and Future Perspectives

摘要

Finnish Support Program to the IAEA Safeguards (FINSP) was established in 1988 and it is funded bythe Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Finland. The work has been focused on areas of development of newverification methods, conceptual development and safeguards training.The evolution of safeguards is reflected in FINSP activities. In the past few years, expansion ofnuclear power to new countries, interfaces and synergies between safety, security and safeguards(3S) and Safeguards by Design (SbD) have been the themes in the development of safeguards. In2012, FINSP provided IAEA support in drafting a Guide: “International Safeguards in Nuclear FacilityDesign and Construction for nuclear power plant designers”. The IAEA organised a Safeguards andSecurity workshop in Finland for embarking countries.FINSP has light administration structure but it has network of experts at its disposal. The expertsparticipating FINSP activities are the part of the national safeguards system, and they have the dutiesand practical touch on those issues they are contributing to the FINSP activities. This makes FINSPflexible and fast to respond for IAEAs momentous needs.FINSP is challenged by declining resources. However, FINSP has many strengths and opportunities:nuclear activities in Finland have been growing in past years, generating expertise in Radiation andNuclear Safety Authority (STUK) and Finnish national system to learn and gain experiences, which areuseful for other countries when they are developing their own systems. The biggest strength of FINSPis that it is representing a government, strictly committed for non-proliferation and run by a nationalsafeguards system doing its best to openly cooperate with the IAEA at the practical level.