
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
The International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA) is the world’s central intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical cooperation in the nuclear field. It works for the safe, secure and peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology, contributing to international peace and security and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
The IAEA was created in 1957 in response to the deep fears and expectations generated by the discoveries and diverse uses of nuclear technology. IAEA’s genesis was U.S. President Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” address to the General Assembly of the United Nations on 8 December 1953, as IAEA was set up as the world’s “Atoms for Peace” organization within the United Nations family. From the beginning, it was given the mandate to work with its Member States and multiple partners worldwide to promote safe, secure and peaceful nuclear technologies. The objectives of the IAEA’s dual mission – to promote and control the Atom – are defined in Article II of the IAEA Statute. In October 1957, the delegates to the First General Conference decided to establish the IAEA’s headquarters in Vienna, Austria.
Namibia is a member state of the IAEA, and has a Permanent Mission to the IAEA in Vienna. The NUI director serves on a team that prepares learning material on uranium exploration and production, and is a member of the IAEA Technical Working Group on Decommissioning and Environmental Remediation.