In brief
On November 10, the IAEA’s 15th Symposium on International Safeguards opened in Vienna, drawing roughly 1,000 participants from 100 countries. Delegates discussed how rapid technological progress and geopolitical shifts demand resilient and innovative safeguards, while highlighting data from the 2025 verification campaign. The event also showcased progress in capacity building, industry collaboration, and the first full cycle of the COMPASS program.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) began its 15th Symposium on International Safeguards in Vienna on 10 November, proposing that the safeguards system must evolve to meet the challenges of rapid technological change and shifting geopolitics. The event convened about 1,000 stakeholders from more than 100 nation‑states and 20 intergovernmental organisations, signalling a broad consensus on the need for shared responsibility in nuclear oversight.
Massimo Aparo, IAEA deputy director‑general and head of the Department of Safeguards, framed the symposium’s theme of "innovation, resilience, and shared responsibility". He noted that "our operating environment is undergoing significant changes that are testing our resilience and challenging us to be more innovative," and urged policymakers, industry, civil society, and the safeguards workforce to keep the system robust.
The symposium’s opening video highlighted the scale of IAEA activity in 2025: nearly 3,000 in‑field verifications were carried out across 191 states; roughly 1,000 samples were collected; demonstrative equipment, including 1,400 surveillance cameras, 2,800 commercial satellite images, and the inspection of more than 24,000 nuclear seals, was deployed in support of field teams. These metrics illustrate the breadth of the agency’s verification capabilities in the contemporary threat environment.
Central to the discussion was the progress of the Comprehensive Capacity‑Building Initiative for Safeguards, known as COMPASS. In 2025 the first full cycle of COMPASS was completed, marking a milestone in training and resource provision for inspectors and national safeguarding authorities. The program’s success is considered a key factor in strengthening both technical skills and organisational resilience across participating states.
Another focal point was the growing partnership between the IAEA, industry, and regulatory bodies. Aparo highlighted that the agency has worked more closely with nuclear designers and operators to embed safeguards considerations from the earliest stages of reactor and fuel cycle development. Such "design‑in‑safeguards" approaches aim to create systems that are inherently more secure and easier to monitor.
Safeguards, in the context of the IAEA, refer to a suite of measures—technical, administrative, and legal—that track and verify that states are compliant with their non‑proliferation obligations. The agency’s updated approach emphasises that these measures should be technologically innovative, operationally resilient, and jointly managed by member states, industry stakeholders, and civil society actors.
The symposium’s agenda also included a timetable for advancing new technologies, such as improved remote‑inspection tools, artificial‑intelligence‑based analysis of surveillance data, and more advanced satellite imagery. Delegates expressed optimism that these developments could reduce the time and cost associated with verification while increasing coverage in regions where on‑site access is limited.
In closing, the IAEA reiterated that protecting the world from nuclear proliferation is a shared global endeavour. By combining innovative technology, comprehensive capacity building, and collaborative design practices, the agency and its partners aim to maintain a safeguards system that is resilient in the face of evolving challenges.
