INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (IAEA)

Foundation: 1957

Director General: Yukiya Amano

Headquarter: Vienna, Austria

The IAEA is the world's center of cooperation in the nuclear field. It was set up as the world´s "Atoms for Peace" autonomous organization in 1957 within the United Nations family. The Agency works with its Member States and multiple partners worldwide to promote safe, secure and peaceful nuclear technologies.
The IAEA works for the safe, secure and peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology. Its key roles contribute to international peace and security, and to the world's Millennium Goals for social, economic and environmental development.

Three main pillars – or areas of work – underpin the IAEA's mission: Safety and Security; Science and Technology; and Safeguards and Verification

The IAEA reports to both the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council.

The IAEA and its former Director General, Mohamed ElBaradei, were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on 7 October 2005.

The IAEA has three main bodies: the Board of Governors, the General Conference, and the Secretariat.

The Board of Governors is one of two policy making bodies of the IAEA. The Board consists of 22 member states elected by the General Conference, and at least 10 member states nominated by the outgoing Board.

The General Conference is made up of all 162 member states. It meets once a year, typically in September, to approve the actions and budgets passed on from the Board of Governors.

The Secretariat is the professional and general service staff of the IAEA. The Secretariat is headed by the Director General. The Director General is responsible for enforcement of the actions passed by the Board of Governors and the General Conference. The Director General is selected by the Board and approved by the General Conference for renewable four-year terms.

The IAEA is generally described as having three main missions:
1. Peaceful uses: Promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy by its member states,
2. Safeguards: Implementing safeguards to verify that nuclear energy is not used for military purposes, and
3. Nuclear safety: Promoting high standards for nuclear safety.