Verification

Verification refers to the process of collecting and assessing data with a view to informing judgements of a State’s compliance with its treaty obligations. The primary goal of verification in this sense is not necessarily to detect all violations of any agreement. Rather, the objective is to foster mutual transparency and confidence between States party to an agreement and to deter violations by increasing the cost and difficulty of undertaking non-compliant activities. However, it is generally expected that an effective verification regime should be able to detect ‘significant’ violations of an agreement before such activities threaten the core security objectives of the States concerned.

The process of verification typically entails three phases: first, monitoring the activities of the parties to an agreement; second, undertaking technical analysis of information derived from monitoring; and third, drawing from the first two steps to reach a judgement as to whether a party is in compliance with its obligations.