ST JOHN’S, Antigua – A pivotal regional conference is underway in Antigua and Barbuda, focusing on enhancing the precision and reliability of nuclear material inventory reporting through the modified Small Quantities Protocol (SQP). This week-long assembly has drawn government delegates from across the Caribbean, including St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia, Suriname, the Bahamas, Grenada, and Belize.
The SQP serves as a critical international accord that streamlines safeguard implementation for nations possessing minimal or no nuclear materials. As an adjunct to a Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it temporarily suspends extensive reporting and inspection mandates for states operating beneath defined nuclear material thresholds. A 2005 revision to the protocol reinforced this system by activating essential reporting and inspection stipulations.
This strategic initiative is collaboratively organized by the US Department of Energy, the National Nuclear Security Administration, the International Nuclear Safeguards Engagement Programme, and the IAEA. In his opening address, Ambassador Dr. Clarence Pilgrim, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized the conference’s critical timing. He underscored the imperative for all nations, regardless of their nuclear material holdings, to fulfill their international non-proliferation commitments diligently.
The core objective of the technical sessions is to equip participating states with the advanced skills necessary to generate accurate nuclear inventories and ensure compliant reporting to the IAEA. Organizers confirm that this specialized training is instrumental in supporting regional endeavors to satisfy the stringent requirements of both the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and the Additional Protocol, thereby reinforcing the foundational architecture of global nuclear security.