Amendment and Rescission of Small Quantities Protocols

During 2024, significant progress was made in addressing what the Board of Governors has described as a “shortcoming in the Agency’s ability to provide safeguards assurances” — a protocol to the comprehensive safeguards agreement (CSA) referred to as the ‘small quantities protocol’ (SQP).

Available since 1971 to States that concluded a CSA with the Agency, the text of the SQP was standardized in 1974. Designed for States with limited or no nuclear material or activities, it holds in abeyance the implementation of most of the safeguards procedures in Part II of the CSA, and in particular those related to reporting and inspections. While the SQP simplifies the implementation of safeguards under the CSA in the States concerned, it also results in a number of important limitations for the Agency.

To address these limitations, the Board of Governors decided in 2005 to revise the standard text of the original SQP and modify the criteria for having such a protocol. It also decided that the revised text would be used as the basis for any newly-concluded SQP to a CSA, and that States which already had an SQP based on the original text would be asked to amend it to reflect the revised text. Furthermore, if a State no longer met the criteria for having an SQP, it would be asked to rescind the protocol altogether.

While the implementation of most of the safeguards procedures in Part II of the CSA are still held in abeyance under the revised SQP, it allows for the application of key provisions related to the State’s submission of an initial report on all nuclear material subject to safeguards, and the Agency’s conduct of inspections in the State to verify that nuclear material.

The Safeguards Implementation Report for 2023 highlighted that, for States with an SQP based on the original standard text, the Agency’s ability to draw a credible and soundly based annual safeguards conclusion was significantly affected. Furthermore, it stated that, given the significant lapse in time since the decision of the Board of Governors in 2005, the Agency would no longer be able to continue to draw a safeguards conclusion for such States.

In 2024, seven countries amended or rescinded their original SQPs, bringing the number of operative SQPs that had yet to be amended or rescinded to 15. These actions have significantly strengthened the Agency’s ability to implement safeguards in the countries concerned. For States that still have an SQP based on the original standard text, the Agency remains ready to provide assistance with its amendment or rescission.