The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an autonomous intergovernmental organisation within the United Nations system. It was established in 1957 in Vienna following US President Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" speech (1953). The Agency's twin pillars, set out in its Statute, are safeguards (verifying that nuclear materials in member states are not diverted to military use) and technical cooperation (assisting peaceful uses of nuclear technology); the post-Chernobyl era added a strong third pillar on safety.

Statutory mandate

Article II of the IAEA Statute commits the Agency:

"to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world. It shall ensure, so far as it is able, that assistance provided by it or at its request or under its supervision or control is not used in such a way as to further any military purpose."

Programmatic structure

The Agency's working departments are:

  • Department of Safeguards — verification under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), Additional Protocols, and bilateral and regional safeguards agreements.
  • Department of Nuclear Safety and Security — Safety Standards Series, Nuclear Security Series, peer-review services (IRRS, OSART, INSARR, ARTEMIS, ISSAS), and emergency-response framework.
  • Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications — agriculture, food, water, environment, human health, marine and isotope hydrology.
  • Department of Nuclear Energy — fuel cycle, infrastructure, power plant lifecycle, knowledge management.
  • Department of Technical Cooperation — capacity-building and projects in developing member states.

Safety Standards Series

See IAEA Safety Standards for the detailed three-tier structure (Safety Fundamentals → General/Specific Safety Requirements → Safety Guides). The standards are non-binding international references that member states adopt, in whole or part, into their national rules. They are developed through a public drafting and consultation process governed by the Commission on Safety Standards (CSS) and committees (NUSSC, RASSC, TRANSSC, WASSC, EPReSC).

Peer-review services

On request from a member state, the IAEA conducts independent peer reviews against its own standards:

  • IRRS — Integrated Regulatory Review Service (review of a national nuclear regulator).
  • OSART — Operational Safety Review Team (review of an operating reactor unit's safety performance).
  • INSARR — Integrated Safety Assessment for Research Reactors.
  • ARTEMIS — review of radioactive waste, spent fuel, decommissioning and remediation programmes.
  • EPREV — Emergency Preparedness Review.

Safeguards

Safeguards verify the peaceful use of nuclear material via material accountancy reports, containment and surveillance measures, design information verification, and inspections. The legal basis for any individual safeguards relationship is a Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement (INFCIRC/153 model) and, in most countries, an Additional Protocol (INFCIRC/540 model) providing access to undeclared activities. Annual State-level integrated safeguards conclusions are reported in the Safeguards Statement of the Agency's annual report.

Emergency response

Under the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident and the Convention on Assistance, the IAEA operates the Incident and Emergency Centre (IEC) in Vienna with the Unified System for Information Exchange (USIE) and the Response and Assistance Network (RANET).