Approval of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution on the Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (ABACC)

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) approved today (6/12), by consensus, a resolution presented by Brazil and Argentina relating to the Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (ABACC).

The resolution is part of the commemorations of the 30th anniversary of ABACC, an agency created through the Agreement between Brazil and Argentina for the Exclusively Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy, signed on July 18, 1991.

ABACC is the centerpiece of the nuclear safeguards model applicable to Brazil and Argentina and was the result of successful diplomatic and technical engineering. Its implementation allowed both countries to overcome mistrust in the nuclear field and to pave the way for transparency and cooperation.

This model, unique in the world, goes beyond the average comprehensive safeguards agreements, to allow both countries to carry out, through ABACC, inspections of nuclear facilities, which are complemented by inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA – an organization headquartered in Vienna whose main functions are to promote the peaceful use of atomic energy and to guarantee that nuclear technology and materials are not used for proscribed purposes).

The robustness and reliability of this verification model, based on the cooperative work of two international agencies, make the nuclear programs in Brazil and Argentina subject to the highest standards of verification and transparency.

The approval, by consensus, of the resolution on ABACC by the General Assembly demonstrates the recognition by the international community of the significant contribution of the Brazilian-Argentine agency to the international nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament regime.