International Atomic Energy Agency

The International Atomic Energy Agency is the world's nuclear watchdog and the principal international forum for cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear technology. Founded in 1957 in response to US President Eisenhower's 1953 "Atoms for Peace" speech, the IAEA both promotes peaceful nuclear applications (medicine, agriculture, energy) and verifies that nuclear materials and facilities are not being used for military purposes.

At a glance

• Founded: 1957 (Statute approved at conference at UN Headquarters 23 October 1956; entered into force 29 July 1957)
• Headquarters: Vienna, Austria
• Official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish
• Website: www.iaea.org

Mission

The IAEA has a dual mandate: promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and prevent its diversion to weapons. The agency is the verification authority for the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT, 1968), conducts safeguards inspections in over 180 countries, and provides technical cooperation programmes in fields including nuclear medicine, food security, water management, and climate science.

Structure

The General Conference of all members meets annually in September in Vienna. The Board of Governors of 35 members handles policy direction and meets several times a year. The Secretariat in Vienna, led by the Director General, executes the agency's programmes. The Director General serves a four-year renewable term — Rafael Grossi (Argentina) has held the role since December 2019.

Member states

The IAEA has 178 member states — most of the world's sovereign states. korea/" data-it-autolink="1">North Korea withdrew in 1994. Notable non-members include several small Pacific states, plus a handful of others that have not pursued nuclear technology.

Key facts

• The IAEA shared the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize with then-Director General Mohamed ElBaradei "for their efforts to prevent nuclear energy from being used for military purposes".
• IAEA inspectors verify the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran, the Additional Protocols with various states, and report quarterly on Iran's nuclear programme.
• The agency's safeguards budget has roughly doubled in real terms since 2000 as the global civilian nuclear sector has grown.
• After Russia's 2022 occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, the IAEA established a continuous on-site presence — an unprecedented monitoring deployment in an active war zone.
• The IAEA reports to both the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council, but is not formally a UN agency — it is an autonomous organisation with its own statute.

Historic milestones