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On May 12, 2023 at 12:47:36 PM UTC, Gravatar Anna Gredinger:

  • Updated description of Incident and Trafficking Database (ITDB) from

    Incidents of nuclear and other radioactive material out of regulatory control The IAEA Incident and Trafficking Database (ITDB) system assists the IAEA’s Secretariat, participating States and selected international organizations in improving nuclear security. The ITDB staff maintains a growing collection of authoritative information, reported by participating States, on incidents involving illicit trafficking and other unauthorized activities involving nuclear and other radioactive materials. This information is disseminated through the IAEA to participating States and certain international organizations. Reporting to the ITDB is voluntary. As of 31 December 2020, 141 States were participating in the ITDB programme. Papua New Guinea and Rwanda joined the ITDB as participating States in 2020. The ITDB receives authoritative information on confirmed incidents as reported by States through their officially nominated Points of Contact. This Fact Sheet summarizes the details of these confirmed incidents. The ITDB is a component of the information management systems and supports the implementation of the IAEA Nuclear Security Plan. Scope of the ITDB The ITDB System was established in 1995 to record incidents of illicit trafficking in nuclear and other radioactive material. It incorporates incidents in which nuclear and other radioactive material is out of regulatory control. The ITDB scope covers all types of nuclear material as defined by the Statute of the Agency (i.e. uranium, plutonium and thorium), naturally occurring and artificially produced radioisotopes and radioactively contaminated material, such as scrap metal. States are also encouraged to report incidents involving scams or hoaxes where material is purported to be nuclear or otherwise radioactive. Communication with participating States is maintained through the network of national Points of Contact (POC). The ITDB System receives information from POCs on incidents ranging from illegal possession, attempted sale and smuggling to unauthorized disposal of material and discovery of lost radioactive sources. The Secretariat reviews all incidents with a view to identifying common threats, trends, and patterns; to assist States in determining what actions may need to be taken with respect to particular events or to help formulate policy towards combating illicit trafficking of such materials; and support the Agency’s nuclear security activities. Confidentiality and security of ITDB information The ITDB is a resource for information sharing among State Authorities and the IAEA. In order to protect the confidentiality of information reported by Member States, the ITDB upholds strict procedures for handling and dissemination of sensitive information. Information on reported incidents is only communicated via the POC network. Access to the complete database is limited to a small number of IAEA staff. The information in this fact sheet represents a cross-section of the aggregated ITDB data that has been made available for the public domain. Conceptual Framework In 2015, the POCs approved a Conceptual Framework and an associated change to the grouping of incidents in the database. Since 2016, the ITDB has been using the following groupings of incident types: * Group I: incidents that are, or are likely to be, connected with trafficking or malicious use; * Group II: incidents of undetermined intent; and * Group III: incidents that are not, or are unlikely to be, connected with trafficking or malicious use. Since 2017 all incidents have been grouped in accordance with the Conceptual Framework’s group structure. This means that the graphs and figures presented in this Fact Sheet cannot be directly compared to those in Fact Sheets produced prior to 2017. About the data Based on the terms of reference of the ITDB, only the Points of Contact from Member States that participate in the ITDB programme have access to information about individual incidents. The data contained here is only aggregate annual data that is also reported in the ITDB Fact Sheet that is published annually on the public IAEA website.
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    This database is the IAEA’s information system on incidents of illicit trafficking and other unauthorized activities and events involving nuclear and other radioactive material outside of regulatory control. The ITDB was established in 1995 to help participating States and selected international organizations to combat illicit nuclear trafficking and strengthen nuclear security. It facilitates information exchange and provides material that can be used to analyze patterns and trends, thereby helping identify potential security threats and vulnerabilities. The ITDB is also an essential component of the information platform supporting the IAEA’s Nuclear Security Plan 2022-2025. The scope of the information provided through the database is broad. States are encouraged to report a variety of incidents, including those – whether successful, unsuccessful or thwarted – involving the illegal trade and movement of nuclear or other radioactive material across national borders. The ITDB information also covers incidents involving the unauthorized acquisition – for instance through theft, supply, possession, use, transfer or disposal (intentional or unintentional) of nuclear and other radioactive material, with or without crossing international borders. Additionally, the ITDB includes information on the loss of material and the discovery of uncontrolled material, as well as incidents involving the intentional offering for sale of benign material that is purported to be nuclear or otherwise radioactive (in other words, scams).