The role of quality management in delivering safeguards conclusions

Drawing safeguards conclusions regarding the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities is intrinsically more challenging than verifying the non-diversion of declared nuclear material. Important new measures are available to the IAEA to help in this respect. However, the Secretariat can only have confidence in the soundness of its conclusions, and thus provide credible assurances of States' compliance with their safeguards obligations, if the necessary and sufficient processes and tools are in place, if the processes are carried out correctly and adequately monitored and if appropriate feedback loops are used. It is simply not possible to carry out quality control activities to verify the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities. Part of the approach being taken by the Department of Safeguards to meet this challenge is to implement a Departmental quality management system (QMS) based on the ISO 9001:2000 standard. This paper describes the steps being taken by the Department to implement such a system. (author)