ABACC at the 63rd IAEA General Conference
The 63rd Session of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference was held from 16 to 20 September in Vienna, Austria.
On September 17, in the context of the 25th anniversary of the Quadripartite Safeguards Agreement, the side event “Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (ABACC) Experience: Non-Proliferation and Safeguards through Regional Cooperation” was held. The Minister of Mines and Energy of Brazil, Mr. Bento de Albuquerque, the Ambassadors of Argentina and Brazil, Mr. Rafael Grossi and Mr. Marcel Biato, respectively, the IAEA Deputy Director of Safeguards, Mr. Massimo Aparo, and the ABACC Secretaries, Ms. Elena Maceiras and Mr.Marco Marzo participated at the event. The main objective was to highlight the technical activities of ABACC safeguards and the importance of cooperation between the IAEA and ABACC in the fulfillment of their missions.
The “Building Future Safeguards Capabilities: Insights from the 2018 Symposium on International Safeguards” panel, organized by the Safeguards Department’s Concepts and Planning Division, was attended by Planning and Evaluation Officer, Ms. Sonia Fernández Moreno, among the panelists.
On September 19, the Secretary of ABACC, Mrs. Elena Maceiras, made the statement in the plenary session of the General Conference, highlighting the importance of the creation of ABACC, the coordination of activities with the IAEA and also the activities carried out throughout 2018.
Meetings were held among representatives of ABACC and representatives of KINAC and EURATOM to identify opportunities for technical cooperation, The representatives of ABACC also participated in events of interest on the margins of the General Conference.
Finally, on September 20, the 33rd Coordination Meeting between ABACC and IAEA was held to address issues related to cooperation, coordination of activities, training of inspectors, among others.