The 56th General Conference (GC) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) wraps up today. The IAEA serves a unique and fundamental role in the nuclear world, working "to promote safe, secure and peaceful nuclear technologies". During this five day General Conference, the major planning for the next year is approved by the member states.
The Deputy General of the IAEA, Yukiya Amano, addressed the GC participants on the opening day. His talk emphasized the IAEA's work on technical cooperation, cancer control, nuclear power, waste, and safety. Though Fukushima was mentioned more than once, it didn't dominate the conversation this year.
More interesting for me was the discussion about nuclear security. The Deputy General acknowledged that though the IAEA does a lot of work in the nuclear security arena, one key part missing is the "Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material". I know that's quite a mouthful, but it's also really important. The Deputy General emphasized that over the next year, the Office of Nuclear Security will grow stronger and host an international conference in support of its goals.
Finally, the Deputy General spoke on the serious situations in Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), and Syria. Unfortunately, there has been little progress made on resolving these disagreements. This is where many people to see the IAEA as weak, because there is little recourse when a state refuses to cooperate and talks are often very drawn out.
For more information about the General Conference or about the opening statements from the Deputy General, please visit the IAEA website.
2 comments:
So...I wrote a paper answering a topic question on whether or not the IAEA has remained consistent during its lifespan. To speak to the problem where people see the IAEA as weak:
"With thorough historical evidence, it can be shown that the IAEA has remained consistent in its role since its launch in 1957. By defining the exact role that the IAEA serves, it is clear that most criticism the IAEA has come under in recent years is due to the misunderstanding of its true purpose. The IAEA is an organization that acts as an independent observer and promoter of the peaceful use of nuclear materials and technology. The IAEA has served as an invaluable asset to the nuclear science community since 1957 through its publications and scientific conferences. It has promoted important safety standards for the nuclear industry, served as the source of up-to-date, accurate information related to nuclear disasters, and it has served as an effective watchdog against the proliferation of military applications of nuclear material."
The real problem that I see is a disconnect between what the IAEA actually is and serves as and what people expect it to do.
If you would like to read my paper, and/or see my IAEA presentation, I'd be happy to share! For the same class, I also wrote a paper on the NPT, but it is a far inferior paper, (it was the end of the term and I was about to graduate...I made it short and maybe slightly too concise!)
@Gwendolyn- Your paper sounds great. I'd love to read it sometime and take a look at your presentation. It's interesting to look at the role of the IAEA historically compared to their role now. I'm not sure if we'll expect to see official changes in the future or not.
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