International Atomic Energy Agency:

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was created in 1957 in response to the deep fears and expectations resulting from the discovery of nuclear energy. Unanimously approved in October 1956, the IAEA Statute outlines the three pillars of the Agency’s work: nuclear verification and security, safety, and technology transfer. As of 7 April 2021, there are 172 Member States including the Russian Federation, United States of America, Islamic Republic of Iran, and Republic of Iraq. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) joined in 1974, however, they withdrew their membership in 1994. The DPRK’s Nuclear Safeguard remains in place. The IAEA Board of Governors will focus on two issues, measures to strengthen international cooperation in nuclear, radiation, transport and waste safety and the application of IAEA safeguards in the Middle East.  

In response to this years’ topics, the Representatives of France weigh in on nuclear radiation safety: “France is deeply committed to the safe and strictly regulated usage of nuclear energy and radiation protection.” While France believes that nuclear energy is the way of the future, they do acknowledge the needs and importance of safeguards and look forward to working with other countries in their voting block.   

A sentiment reflected by many Member States, such as Sweden and Estonia, are concerns about the Fukushima power plant accident on 11 March 2011. In 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of Japan causing a tsunami to flood the reactors at the Fukushima power plant causing a massive nuclear disaster. A major concern for the Representatives of Sweden is to prevent such “Acts of God” from happening again and stress “the importance of safety and resilience in nuclear energy infrastructure and management.”

Many Member States of the IAEA stress the importance of working together to create international safeguards and highlight that transparency must be a part of the guidelines put into place by the body. The Representatives of Canada, a Member State that uses nuclear energy to “meet the demand of emission free energy” urges others to think of the future and to make the switch to a non-petroleum based energy source. In addition, the Representatives of Canada believe that “the safe decommissioning of obsolete nuclear reactors is a cornerstone of responsible nuclear programs.”  

While many Member States are deeply concerned with the stability of the Middle East, Mongolia has a vested economic interest as they have a “growing uranium mining industry that will play an instrumental part in our future economic and political growth.” The Representatives of Mongolia also look forward to working with States that have strong nuclear ambitions and look forward to working with them to construct stronger regulatory standards as well as provide potential trade opportunities with multiple states using IAEA cooperation as a baseline for such endeavors.” Egypt states that they will “continue to prioritize the stability and prosperity of the Middle East and envisions a future where nuclear power plays a large role in the region.”

We look forward to reporting on the substantive work this body will do and learning more about measures to strengthen international cooperation in nuclear, radiation, transport and waste safety and the application of IAEA safeguards in the Middle East.