Structure

The Commission of ABACC is the highest level in the hierarchy of the Agency. Its main task is to establish the technical and political course for the activities of the Secretariat. The Commission has four members, two for Argentina and two for Brazil. The Commission of ABACC has both the responsibility and the duty to inform the Governments of both countries any anomaly occurring within the Common System of Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials – SCCC.

The Secretariat is responsible for the performance of the activities required for the application of the Common System for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials on the basis of the guidelines established by the Commission of ABACC. Also, it represents the Agency before the Argentine and Brazilian national authorities. Each one of the technical sectors of ABACC is shared by an Argentine and a Brazilian official. The inspectors of ABACC are considered as officers of the Secretariat during the safeguards missions.

It is responsible for managing the financial resources of ABACC, so that they are used efficiently and the Agency can reach the objectives and goals established annually in the Work Plan and Budget.

The Technical Support Sector is responsible for the calibration and maintenance of the equipment used by inspectors in their safeguards missions as well as the ones installed in the nuclear facilities under safeguards. It also evaluates the measuring techniques applied by ABACC and is in charge of the follow-up of the samples of nuclear materials collected during the inspections and sent for analysis.

The Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials Sector processes and analyses the accounting data on nuclear materials received from the national authorities and the data gathered in the audits performed during the safeguards inspections. It also develops the procedures for the transmission of this confidential information between ABACC, the national authorities and the IAEA, what requires total guarantee of security in the transmissions.

The Operations Sector is in charge of planning and performing the safeguards inspections in order to guarantee that the nuclear materials of the installations under safeguards of both countries are used exclusively for peaceful uses. The inspections are coordinated with the national authorities of each country and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The Planning and Evaluation Sector develops the annual plan for the application of safeguards in both countries and evaluates the results of the inspections performed, as established in the Common System for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials. It develops the inspections procedures and the safeguards approaches to be applied in the different types of nuclear installations. It coordinates the meetings with the national authorities and with the IAEA, which are the forums where the strategies for the application of safeguards are established.

The Institutional Relations Sector is responsible for the coordination of institutional action with the national authorities of the two countries, the Commission and the institutions that have cooperation agreements with ABACC. In addition, it is responsible for supporting the Secretariat in technical cooperation processes and in the conduct of nuclear matters, particularly those dealing with non-proliferation and nuclear safeguards. Also as a duty, to participate in preparation and distribution of the documentation of the meetings of the Commission as well as to conduct the administrative procedures related to the privileges and immunities of the staff of the Agency’s staff. The sector also includes the administration of the Agency’s website, the preparation of annual reports, the organization of institutional events and the elaboration of promotional material