From Atoms for Peace to NPT
In December 1953 President Eisenhower proposed creation of an international agency to promote the peaceful uses of atomic energy while ensuring that the sharing of nuclear technology did not promote military purposes. Four years after Eisenhower's visionary "Atoms for Peace" proposal, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was established as a unique, independent organization in the United Nations family.
The Agency's mandate is both far-reaching and specific. It is tasked to "accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity" and to "ensure, as far as it is able, that (this) assistance ... is not used ... to further any military purpose."
Because this mandate preconditions a nation's ability to reap the benefits of nuclear energy to its ability to demonstrate non-diversion to military uses, by necessity the IAEA has become a pioneer in developing a system for international monitoring of nuclear related facilities. Under this monitoring, referred to generally as "safeguards", sovereign states permit international inspections of nuclear facilities to ensure that nuclear materials and technologies are not being used for weapons development.
Recent years have seen remarkable progress by the Agency in meeting its mandate:In 1986 the Chernobyl disaster dramatically underscored the need for maximum safety in nuclear operations. The Agency responded decisively by developing a strong set of international standards for nuclear safety and helping countries to meet those standards. The IAEA also developed international conventions on nuclear safely, notification of accidents and nuclear liability.
The discovery of an illegal, concealed nuclear weapons program in Iraq was one of the first examples that a determines state could evade the existing Agency’s safeguards that theretofore had been limited to the supervision of known nuclear facilities. The international community responded in 1997 by developing an Additional Protocol to the NPT, giving the Agency (in ratifying states or in states that otherwise agree) investigatory powers and the right to expanded inspections.
Since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the Mission has strengthened and accelerated its efforts to combat the threat of nuclear terrorism. The Mission works with the IAEA and Member States to enhance the safety and security of nuclear facilities and materials to prevent the acquisition of the means to develop nuclear weapons or radioactive materials by terrorists or terrorist organizations. The Mission has also been coordinating closely with the IAEA and Member States to improve the protection of nuclear facilities from sabotage and to enhance emergency preparedness of IAEA Member States in the event of a terrorist attack.
