Various events and activities, beginning in 1946, led to the creation of the IAEA by the UN in 1956, with the IAEA’s programmes officially beginning in 1957 [2]. The key to the formation and subsequent functioning of the IAEA has been its Statute.
1.3.1. Statute
The development of the Statute [14] was undertaken during 1955 and 1956 by twelve of the future Member States of the IAEA. It was approved on 23 October 1956, during the
Conference on the Statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency, convened at the Headquarters of the UN. The Statute came into force on 29 July 1957, and it has been amended three times. The last amendments were made on 28 December 1989.
The objectives of the IAEA are clearly set forth in the Statute as follows:
“The Agency shall seek 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.”
1.3.2. Mission and functions
The Statute also specifies the functions of the IAEA, by stating, in part, that it is authorized:
(1) To encourage and assist research on, and development and practical application of, atomic energy for peaceful uses throughout the world; and, if requested to do so, to act as an intermediary for the purposes of securing the performance of services or the supplying of materials, equipment, or facilities by one member of the Agency for another; and to perform any operation or service useful in research on, or development or practical application of, atomic energy for peaceful purposes;
(2) To make provision, in accordance with this Statute, for materials, services equipment and facilities to meet the needs of research on, and development and practical application of, atomic energy for peaceful purposes, including the production of electric power;
(3) To foster the exchange of scientific and technical information on peaceful uses of atomic energy;
(4) To encourage the exchange of training of scientists and experts in the field of peaceful uses of atomic energy;
(5) To establish and administer safeguards;
(6) To establish or adopt...standards of safety for protection of health and minimization of danger to life and property (including the standards for labour conditions), and to provide for the application of these standards to its own operations as well as to the operations making use of materials, services, equipment, facilities and information made available by the Agency or at its request or under its control or supervision; and to provide for the application of these standards, at the request of the parties, to the operations under any bilateral or multilateral arrangement, or, at the request of a State, to any of that State’s activities in the field of atomic energy; and
(7) To acquire or establish any facilities, plant and equipment useful in carrying out its authorized functions.
1.3.3. Roles and responsibilities
The IAEA serves as the world’s central intergovernmental forum for scientific and
the IAEA provides a wide range of IAEA products, services and programmes that incorporate the co-operative efforts and interests of the IAEA’s Member States [15].
FIG. 1.1. IAEA organizational structure.
Considering the structure of the IAEA helps one to understand some of its varied roles and responsibilities. The IAEA currently has six Departments, each overseen by a Deputy Director General. Within each Department are a number of Divisions, and within the Divisions are Sections. Some Sections have specialized Units within them. As an example, the Transport Safety Unit is in the Radiation Safety Section, within the Division of Radiation and Waste Safety, which is in the Department of Nuclear Safety.
The current programmes of the IAEA can be classified under the following headings:
- Nuclear safeguards and verification;
- Nuclear radiation and waste safety;
- Nuclear power, fuel cycle and waste technology;
- Nuclear and radiation applications; and - Technical assistance and co-operation.
1.3.3.1. Safeguards
In operation since the 1960’s, the safeguards system of the IAEA is a central component of the world’s commitment to control the spread of nuclear weapons. Under agreements that Member States conclude with the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA inspectors regularly visit nuclear facilities to verify records that State authorities keep on the whereabouts of nuclear material under their control, check IAEA-installed instruments and surveillance equipment, and confirm physical inventories of nuclear materials. These and other safeguards measures provide independent, international verification that governments are living up to their commitments to peaceful uses of nuclear technology.
1.3.3.2. Nuclear safety
Nuclear radiation and waste safety activities cover a large field from the development and publication of safety standards, guides and practices, to legally binding international safety conventions, to the very practical safety assessments of facilities by special review teams.
1.3.3.3. Nuclear energy
The IAEA’s nuclear power programme assists Member States in nuclear power planning and implementation and in advanced reactor technology development. Assistance is provided to developing countries to assess the role of nuclear power in the future expansion of electricity supply systems. A significant emphasis is placed on the training and qualification of plant personnel.
The IAEA’s programme on the nuclear fuel cycle covers such key areas as uranium supply and demand; light water reactor fuel performance at extended burnup; the reliability of spent fuel under long term storage; the management of spent fuel from research and test reactors; and the safe handling and storage of plutonium.
The radioactive waste technology programme focuses on the handling, processing and disposal and storage of radioactive waste; decontamination and decommissioning of nuclear installations; environmental restoration, quality assurance and management; waste management planning and infrastructure building; and technology transfer and exchange.
1.3.3.4. Nuclear sciences and applications
The promotion and development of the multiplicity of uses of radiation and radioisotopes is part of the function of the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications.
Several of these are briefly discussed later in the section on uses of radioactive material. The
- Industry and earth sciences; and - Human health.
The IAEA plays a key role in co-ordinating the global project on the next step towards nuclear fusion energy, the ITER project.
1.3.3.5. Technical co-operation
Of particular interest is the fact that it is through the Department of Technical Co-operation that regional and inter-regional training courses are facilitated for developing Member States. More importantly, however, it is through this Department that the IAEA provides development assistance to Member States. Dr. Hans Blix, former Director General of the IAEA, has pointed out that:
“…over the course of more than three decades, IAEA’s Technical Co-operation (TC) Programme has helped to build the foundations for effectively applying nuclear-related technologies in dozens of developing countries. The degree of sophistication of many nuclear applications has made this capacity building phase a complex process.
It has entailed many stages of education and training, sharing of research, development and refinement of appropriate equipment and facilities, as well as international co-ordination of efforts.” [16]
In pursuit of the IAEA’s focus on assisting developing Member States in the application of nuclear technologies to enhance the quality of life, the IAEA has delivered to them almost US$800 million in technical support. By 1996, 95 countries and territories had, or were participating, in TC projects in 49 principal areas, including:
- Building food security;
- Managing water resources;
- Promoting a sustainable environment;
- Enhancing the quality of health care; and - Ensuring nuclear safety [16].
1.3.4. Services and information
Multiple services are provided by the IAEA to its Member States. These include the development of standards such as the Regulations [8], associated guidance documents, and other information products. All are provided through the IAEA’s Division of Public Information and the Division of Conference and Document Services, both of which are under the Department of Management. The IAEA is the world’s largest publisher of nuclear-related material. Not only does this include the aforementioned standards, but also many booklets, books, information circulars, fact sheets, periodicals, and proceedings as well as CD-ROMs, films and videos.
A large number of databases are maintained by the IAEA. Of particular note is the International Nuclear Information System (INIS), which contains well over two million bibliographic references to conventional and non-conventional nuclear literature, and offers various products and services.
In addition, the IAEA holds many dozens of meetings throughout the year as part of its mission regarding the dissemination of information. These vary from small consultants’
meetings to major international symposia.
With the advent of the World Wide Web (www), the IAEA has taken significant steps to enhance and streamline communications. Many web pages and databases are available, as well as direct electronic communications with IAEA staff members. The IAEA’s web pages are accessed tens of thousands of times monthly, and all IAEA programmes regularly publish information about their projects via the Internet. The IAEA’s web site URL is http://www.iaea.org [15]. It is the best, up-to-date, single source of information about all that the IAEA is and does.