What is the IAEA?

THE IAEA is the international center for nuclear energy security.

Rafael Mariano Grossi, the IAEA’s Director General, claims there was no release of radiation in the attack on one of Ukraine’s power plants.

What is the IAEA?

The International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, is an organization within the United Nations that seeks to promote the secure and peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Often referred to as the “Atoms for Peace and Development” organization; IAEA is the international center for cooperation in the nuclear field.

It has members and partners from all around the world.

According to the IAEA official website’s overview page:

“The International Atomic Energy Agency is the world’s central intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical co-operation 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.”

Rafael Mariano Grossi has been the IAEA Director-General since December 3, 2019. He “is a diplomat with over 35 years of experience in the field of non-proliferation and disarmament.”

When was the IAEA established and why?

The IAEA was created in 1957 after a U.S. Ratification of the Statute by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

According to the IAEA website, former President Eisenhower had first proposed the establishment of the IAEA, “in response to the deep fears and expectations generated by the discoveries and diverse uses of nuclear technology.”

The Agency’s root beliefs and principles are anchored to Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” address to the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 8, 1953.

The IAEA states that they are “strongly linked to nuclear technology and its controversial applications, either as a weapon or as a practical and useful tool.”

In October 1956, a total of 81 nations unanimously approved the creation of the IAEA.

The IAEA’s headquarters are located in Vienna, Austria, with subsequent regional and liaison offices worldwide; including one in New York City.

EPA

What has the IAEA said about Ukraine’s nuclear plant? 

Director-General Grossi confirmed in a press conference from Vienna, Austria, that the training facility building at the Zaporizhzhya Power Plant in Ukraine which was hit by a Russian projectile has been extinguished with the help of Ukrainian firefighters.

Grossi said in the press conference that “we are fortunate there was no release of radiation and the integrity of the reactors was not compromised.”

“He said he wants to head to Chernobyl for a meeting so that both sides of the conflict can agree to a framework to avoid attacking nuclear power plants in the future,” Fox News reported.

Grossi said he thinks “we should not wait for something like this to happen again.”