The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization and an autonomous institution within the United Nations system, headquartered in Vienna, Austria. Its dual mission is to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose. The Agency was established on 29 July 1957, stemming from U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" speech to the UN General Assembly on 8 December 1953. It was created to solve the problem of managing the dual-use nature of nuclear technology, providing a mechanism to both regulate and promote atomic power amid Cold War tensions.
The Agency's objectives are defined in Article II of its Statute, which mandates it to "accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity" while ensuring that assistance is "not used in such a way as to further any military purpose". The core mechanism is the implementation of IAEA safeguards, which are technical verification measures, including on-site inspections and material accounting, to provide credible assurance that nuclear material is used only for peaceful purposes.
The IAEA reports to both the UN General Assembly and the Security Council. It is intrinsically connected to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which opened for signature in 1968. Under Article III of the NPT, the IAEA administers safeguards to verify the non-proliferation commitments of non-nuclear-weapon states. India, which is not an NPT party, has item-specific safeguards agreements in force with the IAEA.
The safeguards system has been strengthened over time, notably by the introduction of the Additional Protocol (AP). The AP is a legal document that complements the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements (CSAs) and enables the IAEA to verify the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities, constituting the current verification standard alongside the CSA. The Agency also regularly updates its safety standards, such as the 2025 edition of the Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material, which updates the 2018 edition.