This call emphasized that national governments and authorities must take the main responsibility for preventing illicit trafficking, but it also asked the IAEA to intensify its support to States in combating illicit trafficking. In response, the IAEA increased its activities in this area in coordination with other cognizant authorities. One primary area in which IAEA assistance has been of great benefit is in tracking trafficking information and coordinating access to this information for Member States and other international organizations. Since 1992, the IAEA has tracked cases of illicit trafficking in nuclear material and analyzed them for patterns and trends. In 1995, the IAEA created an illicit Trafficking Database Program, inviting all its members to participate.
Today there are sixty-nine participants.
These States account for a very large part of the global nuclear industry, covering uranium yellowcake production, conversion, fuel fabrication, power and research reactors, enrichment, reprocessing, waste and various nuclear research installations. Participating States submit details regarding each illicit trafficking case, using an Incident Notification Form to ensure reporting in sufficient detail and with sufficient uniformity for trend and pattern analyses. The United States has been a strong supporter of the Illicit Trafficking Database Program, particularly with respect to the design of the database and analysis of the cases. Currently, a U.S. expert at IAEA headquarters is providing full-time support to the program. In addition to information provided by participant States, the IAEA also cooperates with other international organizations on illicit trafficking matters, including on relevant databases and information exchange.