The Statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was approved in 1956 at an international conference held at United Nations Headquarters, and the agency came into existence in Vienna in 1957. Also in 1957, the General Assembly approved an agreement concerning IAEA's relationship with the United Nations.
In accordance with its statute, IAEA's two main objectives are to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world and to ensure that assistance provided by it, or at its request or under its supervision or control, is not used to further any military purpose.
IAEA fosters and guides the development of peaceful uses of atomic energy, establishes standards for nuclear safety and environmental protection, aids member countries through technical cooperation and fosters the exchange of scientific and technical information.
One of the agency's main functions is to apply safeguards to ensure that nuclear materials and equipment intended for peaceful use are not diverted to military purposes. The IAEA safeguards system is primarily based on nuclear material accountancy, verified on the spot by IAEA inspectors. Various types of safeguards agreements can be concluded with IAEA. Those in connection with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America (Treaty of Tlatelolco) and the Treaty on the South Pacific Nuclear-Free-Zone (Treaty of Rarotonga) require non-nuclear-weapon states to submit their entire nuclear fuel cycle activities to IAEA safeguards. Other agreement types cover safeguards at single facilities.
As of December 31, 1994, there were 199 safeguards agreements in force with 118 states (and with Taiwan, China). In 1994, safeguards agreements pursuant to the NPT entered into force with Armenia and Zambia.
Argentina and Brazil established a Common System of Accounting and Control of Nuclear Material (SCCC) and a Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (ABACC) whose objective is to administer and implement the SCCC. A comprehensive safeguards agreement was negotiated by Argentina, Brazil, the ABACC and IAEA covering all nuclear materials in all nuclear activities carried out within the territories of the two states, under their jurisdiction or under their control. This agreement entered into force in 1994.
During 1994, safeguards were applied in 49 states under agreements pursuant to NPT or to NPT and the Treaty of Tlatelolco, in one state under an agreement pursuant to the Treaty of Tlatelolco and in eight states under other agreements. Safeguards activities pursuant to NPT in Iraq continued to be subsumed by activities pursuant to Security Council resolution 687. (IAEA also applies safeguards to nuclear installations in Taiwan, China).
Since May 1994, IAEA inspectors have been monitoring the agreed freeze of the graphite moderated reactor program in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
In South Africa, the world welcomed the first instance of a state abandoning its nuclear weapon capacity. This gave rise to new verification tasks for IAEA. As a result of visits by IAEA staff and other experts to the country, IAEA concluded in 1993 that the nuclear material used for the weapons was under safeguards and that there was no indication that there remained any components of the program that had not been either rendered useless or converted to commercial non-nuclear or peaceful nuclear uses.
Nuclear-related issues in the countries of eastern Europe and the former USSR continued to be of international concern. The issues that were addressed included: the application of safeguards to the large nuclear programs in some of these states; the safety of nuclear installations; the need to establish adequate infrastructures for nuclear safety and radiation protection and the problems of radioactive contamination. IAEA helped to make significant advances during the year towards resolving such issues. Missions were carried out to all major nuclear facilities in Armenia, Belarus, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan in connection with the development of safeguards approaches, the future implementation of safeguards and the assessment of national infrastructure requirements. In the safety area, IAEA concentrated on establishing priorities for safety upgradings of the various reactor types and on providing expert assistance and guidance.
An expanded safety program was adopted covering the areas of safety of nuclear installations, radiation protection, health, radioactive waste management, nuclear power and the nuclear fuel cycle.
IAEA advises and assists governments, at their request, on atomic energy programs. The main objective of its technical assistance program is to promote the transfer of skills and knowledge so that recipient countries can carry out their atomic energy programs more efficiently and safely. It provides advisers, equipment and training to member states, the majority of which are developing countries.
Total new resources available for technical cooperation in 1994 amounted to $52.8 million US dollars.
IAEA formulates basic safety standards for radiation protection and issues regulations and codes of practice on specific types of operations, including the safe transport of radioactive materials. It also facilitates emergency assistance to member states in the event of a radiation accident. The capability of the agency to perform its functions under the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency and under the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident was strengthened through arrangements for use of the World Meteorological Organization's Global Telecommunication System to transmit measured radiological data.
Information on virtually every aspect of nuclear science and technology is collected and disseminated by IAEA through its International Nuclear Information System in Vienna. With UNESCO, it operates the International Center for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy and maintains three laboratories for studies in basic uses. IAEA works with FAO in research on atomic energy in food and agriculture and with WHO on radiation in medicine and biology. IAEA's Marine Environment Laboratory in Monaco carries out worldwide marine pollution studies with UNEP and UNESCO.
IAEA's policies and programs are directed by the General Conference, composed of all IAEA's member states, which meets annually, and by a 35-member Board of Governors.
From Basic Facts About the United Nations. Published by United Nations Department of Public Information. Copyright 1995 United Nations.
