Category: IAEA

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In a Global First, IAEA to Support Nuclear Security Measures at Formula 1 Grand Prix

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

The IAEA supported Azerbaijan in strengthening nuclear security measures for the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Baku. (Photo: State Agency for Nuclear and Radiological Activity Regulations)

For the first time, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is providing its nuclear security expertise to a Formula 1 Grand Prix, supporting Azerbaijan in protecting race participants and spectators against any potential threats involving nuclear and other radioactive material at the Baku motor racing event.

The Baku Formula 1 Grand Prix, scheduled for 19 to 21 September, is expected to attract tens of thousands of spectators along the six-kilometre city circuit. During a mission this week in Baku, the IAEA supported Azerbaijan in strengthening nuclear security measures for the race, providing specific advice and recommendations.

The Baku Formula 1 Grand Prix event demands robust security measures due to its high public profile and significant media attention.

“Major events are prime targets for criminals, including the potential misuse of nuclear and other radioactive material,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. “By extending our nuclear security support to the fast-paced world of motorsport, we are extending our vigilance – helping countries close critical gaps and keep the public safe.”

At the request of the Government of Azerbaijan, the IAEA team – including experts from France and the United Arab Emirates, and one IAEA staff member – advised the national authorities on nuclear security measures at Formula 1 sites in Baku. During the four-day mission, from 9 to 12 September – hosted by the State Agency for Nuclear and Radiological Activity Regulations of the Ministry of Emergency Situations – the team also met with senior officials to discuss the security measures and the use of more than 100 radiation detection instruments loaned to the country by the IAEA.

During the opening session for the mission Murad Pashayev, Head of the State Agency for Nuclear and Radiological Activity Regulations of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, expressed gratitude to the IAEA for its ongoing assistance. “We reaffirm our commitment to further strengthening cooperation in the field of nuclear and radiation safety and security,” he added.

The IAEA’s support for Formula 1 builds on the assistance it provided to Azerbaijan for the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29), held in Baku in November last year, and will also be provided for the Commonwealth of Independent States Games in November and the World Urban Forum in May 2026, both to be held in Azerbaijan. Similar support is being extended to Brazil, host of COP30 planned for November, and to Morocco for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations at the end of the year.

The IAEA’s programme of assistance for nuclear security at major public events (MPEs) is a cornerstone of countries’ efforts to secure large gatherings with nuclear security at all levels. In total, since 2004, the Agency has provided nuclear security training and equipment for 88 MPEs in 49 countries to assist in the readiness to counteract a potential threat.

“For the last two decades, the IAEA has been at the forefront of an effort to integrate nuclear security protocols into traditional security arrangements for MPEs – an effort ensuring the safety of millions,” said Elena Buglova, Director of the IAEA’s Division of Nuclear Security. “Behind the scenes of events such as Formula 1, there is a consistent approach recognizing nuclear security as a fundamental element of the overall security measures, before and during the actual events.”

Requests for support in the area of nuclear security have increased in recent years, as more countries embark on or expand nuclear power programmes. The IAEA established its Nuclear Security Training and Demonstration Centre (NSTDC) – the world’s first international training centre dedicated to enhancing global nuclear security – in 2023 in Seibersdorf, Austria. The NSTDC offers a unique suite of training to experts from around the world, including on nuclear security measures for MPEs.

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Video: IAEA’s 69th General Conference

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

More than 3000 participants registered for the Agency’s 69th general conference in Vienna this week, with 10,500 people joining online. The conference decides the direction of the IAEA’s work for the coming year, as it seeks to promote peace, health and prosperity worldwide. Water was the focus of the Scientific Forum and highlighted how by studying water at an atomic level, we can better manage our global water resources for future generations.

During the conference, the Director General also opened a new Visitor Centre at the IAEA’s laboratories in Lower Austria.

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Week in Review: 69th General Conference

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

The 69th annual IAEA General Conference is coming to a close, with final discussions around possible resolutions likely to last into the evening.

Resolutions and decisions adopted at the conference will guide the IAEA’s activities in the coming year. They will be posted here as they become available.

This year, more than 3000 participants registered for the conference, including 2755 representatives from 153 of the180 IAEA Member States. High-ranking officials in attendance included 57 ministers and 37 vice-ministers. In addition, 348 representatives from international organizations and non-governmental organizations took part. The number of participants from non-governmental organizations has more than doubled since 2021, showing how the IAEA has been growing its engagement around the world.

In his opening statement to the General Conference on Monday, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi outlined how the Agency has been responding through its unique mandate to what he described as “extremely challenging times”.

“[The IAEA’s mandate] spans all the way from reducing the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation — and ultimately therefore also the risk of nuclear war — to using nuclear science and technology to help feed families, light cities and care for children with cancer,” he said.

The General Conference and Board of Governors are the two IAEA policy making bodies. The Board examines and provides recommendations to the General Conference on the IAEA’s financial statements, programme and budget.

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New Members Elected to the IAEA Board of Governors

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

IAEA 69th General Conference 2025: Global Cooperation in the Nuclear Field, held at the Agency headquarters in Vienna, Austria. 15 September 2025 (Photo: Dean Calma / IAEA).

Eleven countries have been newly elected to serve on the 35-member IAEA Board of Governors for the 2025–2026 period. The election took place on Friday 19 September, at the plenary session of the 69th IAEA General Conference. 

The newly elected Board members are the following: Belgium, Chile, Jordan, Lithuania, Niger, Peru, the Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Saudi Arabia and Togo. 

For the 2025–2026 period, the new composition of the IAEA Board will be as follows:  Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Egypt, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, India, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Morocco, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Niger, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Portugal, Romania, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Thailand, Togo, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.  

The Board of Governors is one of the two policy-making bodies of the IAEA, along with the annual General Conference of IAEA Member States. The Board will meet on Monday, 22 September, to elect its officers. 

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Five Reasons to Visit the New IAEA Visitor Centre

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

1. Radiation in everyday life

A visitor measures radiation from a potassium sample with a Geiger counter, demonstrating the presence of natural radioactivity.

Did you know the human body contains enough potassium to set off some radiation detectors? Because of potassium-40, your body is a small but constant source of natural radiation that sensitive instruments can pick up. At our interactive exhibit, you can test out a Geiger counter and learn what levels of radiation are considered safe. You’ll also discover why radiation isn’t just something found in nuclear power plants — it’s a natural part of the environment and even inside our own bodies.

2. Tools of the trade: what’s inside a safeguards inspector’s toolkit?

Guests watch a life-sized display of IAEA safeguards inspectors explaining the specialized tools they use to carry out verification activities.

When IAEA inspectors visit nuclear facilities around the world, they carry specialized instruments to verify that nuclear material is used only for peaceful purposes. For the first time, all these tools are on display. On a life size monitor, you’ll meet an inspector who personally walks you through each instrument. You can the pick up the tools yourself and see how the IAEA’s safeguards system works to build trust and support international peace and security.

3. Ocean acidification up close

An interactive display at the Ocean Acidification panel shows the real-time effects of rising temperatures and changing pH levels on corals and marine life.

Oceans sustain ecosystems, regulate weather and provide livelihoods for more than three billion people. But human activities are altering their chemistry. By absorbing about 23 per cent of the carbon dioxide we produce, seawater has become 30 per cent more acidic since pre-industrial times. At our interactive exhibit, you can see in real time how acidification weakens corals, threatens marine life and disrupts the food web — and how nuclear techniques help scientists study and address these challenges.

4. Safety vs. security. What’s the difference?

A visitor takes the interactive quiz on nuclear safety and security, testing their knowledge of the two and learning how the IAEA supports countries in both areas.

Nuclear safety and nuclear security both protect people and the environment, but in different ways. Safety prevents accidents and limits radiation risks, while security stops theft, smuggling or sabotage. At the Visitor Centre, you can test your knowledge with interactive exhibits and explore how the IAEA helps countries strengthen both.

You can also check out the Incident and Emergency Centre, the IAEA’s global hub for emergency preparedness and response, which operates around the clock to provide guidance and real-time support,to member countries in the unlikely event of a nuclear or radiological incident.

5. Breeding stronger crops for food security

At the Plant Breeding exhibit, visitors discover how tiny doses of radiation can speed up natural processes to create crops that resist disease, grow faster and improve food security.

Can science help protect and make staple crops stronger? Nuclear techniques can speed up natural plant breeding to create varieties that resist droughts, pests and diseases. At the Visitor Centre, you’ll see how these techniques help farmers adapt to climate change and how IAEA-supported research is helping boost food security in many countries.

Plan a visit

The IAEA Visitor Centre welcomes organized groups, with tours offered free of charge on Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons. Each visit lasts up to two hours and, when possible, can be tailored to specific interests.

The Centre is fully accessible and designed with students and educators in mind: teachers can request additional STEM resources to link the experience with classroom learning. Practical arrangements are simple and can be made upon registration, with free parking available on site and support for group transport if needed.

To learn more, visit the IAEA Visitor Centre website — and follow our social media channels, including the Visitor Centre’s Instagram account, for regular updates and highlights.

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Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan Pledge Commitment to Safe, Secure and Peaceful Use of Nuclear Technology

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi and Meder Asanovich Mashiev, Minister of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision of the Kyrgyz Republic at the event. (Photo D. Calma/ IAEA)

On the sidelines of the IAEA General Conference yesterday, Kyrgyzstan deposited legal instruments expressing consent to be bound by treaties strengthening nuclear safety and security worldwide.

These were the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency and the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident. Kyrgyzstan was represented by Meder Asanovich Mashiev, Minister of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision of the Kyrgyz Republic at the Treaty Event.

By depositing a legal instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession, Member States can join multilateral treaties, expressing their consent to be bound by their provisions.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said: “I attach great importance to promoting universal adherence to the multilateral treaties deposited with me as Director General of the IAEA.

“Joining these treaties is in fact an important step towards their universalization and signals to the international community a State’s commitment to a strong legal framework aimed at ensuring the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technology.”

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New IAEA Visitor Centre Inaugurated in Lower Austria

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

Located just outside Vienna, the new visitor’s centre provides a deeper understanding of nuclear science, its peaceful uses, and the IAEA’s global mission. The 33 interactive exhibits show how nuclear science drives progress in energy, medicine, food security, and industry. The centre will open to the public in early 2026.

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Scientific Forum Highlights Nuclear Solutions for Water Sustainability

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

The Scientific Forum concluded with a discussion of the importance of partnerships and resource mobilization to water sustainability. “Science alone is not enough, we need resources and partnerships to bring nuclear solutions where they are most needed,” said Director General Grossi.

Najat Mokhtar, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, stressed the importance of implementation. She called for embracing new technologies to bridge this gap. “Let’s not waste time,” she urged; “let’s work together to use science to manage water better.”

Sustainable water management requires strong science and a robust policy framework, said Tatiana Molcean, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. In her view, combining the 2016 Water Convention framework with the IAEA’s technical tools could address the water-food-energy nexus.

Winston Yu, Water Practice Manager at the World Bank, said that globally, $165 billion is invested annually in the water sector by governments, international organizations, civil society and the private sector, but trillions are needed. He agreed with María Jimena Durán from the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, and Lina Escobar-Rangel from the Interamerican Development Bank, that the private sector must be involved to meet the huge need for water finance. Currently the private sector contributes only two percent of global water funding.

Yu pointed to Niger’s agreement with the IAEA as a good example of how multilateral development banks can combine financing and policy engagement with IAEA expertise to help countries improve water resource management. “There is huge scope for the IAEA to work with all the development banks to bring together technologies with financing,” he said.

Water finance will be a focus at the 2026 United Nations Water Conference, according to Mohamed CBC Diatta, Senegal’s Sherpa for the conference, which he said will “harness science, multilateralism, cooperation and innovation” and build connections between sectors to help protect our most precious shared resource. Nuclear sciences have a critical role to play in building these connections and the IAEA will continue to work with countries to strengthen their capacity to use these tools to address their critical water challenges.

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IAEA Opens New Visitor Centre Showcasing the Power of Nuclear Science for Peace and Development

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today opened the doors to its newly created Visitors Centre located in its laboratory facility in Seibersdorf, Austria, a first-of-its-kind space where visitors can experience the Agency’s mission and discover how nuclear science and technology is addressing global challenges.

At the inauguration ceremony held today in the presence of IAEA Member State Ambassadors and representatives from Austrian academia, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi and Ambassador of Austria to the United Nations in Vienna Gabriela Sellner, officially unveiled the centre.

“This centre brings the Agency’s mission of ‘Atoms for Peace and Development’ to life for the public,” said Director General Grossi. “This new milestone for the IAEA highlights how nuclear technology drives progress in energy, medicine, food security, and industry, as well as the Agency’s role in reducing the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation.”

Located less than an hour’s drive from Vienna, the IAEA Visitor Centre offers an immersive experience that highlights the Agency’s scientific and technical mandate, exploring the application of nuclear for health, food and agriculture, water, ocean protection, cultural heritage, energy and industry.

The centre features 33 interactive exhibits with physical and digital displays that highlight the pioneering scientific work carried out at the IAEA’s laboratories in Seibersdorf, Vienna, and in Monaco. First opened in 1962 in Seibersdorf, just five years after the IAEA’s founding, the IAEA research laboratories are unique within the United Nations system and include five joint Laboratories supporting the work of FAO-IAEA Joint Centre.  They serve as hubs for applied research and development, technical and analytical services, capacity-building and the advancement of innovative nuclear technologies.

“This new state-of-the-art Visitor Centre will bring the IAEA’s work to life,” Ambassador Sellner underlined today, during the opening event. “It shows how nuclear science helps tackle global challenges — from health to food and agriculture, to protecting our oceans and water. It also reflects the IAEA’s commitment to sharing knowledge and engaging with the public on the peaceful uses of nuclear science. Austria is proud to host the IAEA and its Laboratories.”

Touring the centre for the first time, the Director General described it as a dynamic and accessible experience of the IAEA’s mission for a wide range of visitors, from researchers and scientists to high school and university students with a keen interest in science and global cooperation.

“Today is more than the inauguration of a facility – it is the beginning of a new chapter in science outreach and education,” Director General Grossi added.

The centre was funded by the United States, and during today’s inauguration ceremony, Director General Grossi emphasized that it stands as a testament to international partnership and collaboration. Lucy Chang, Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of the United States, and Marlene Zeidler-Beck, Member of the Landtag of Lower Austria, also spoke at the opening. More details, including registration information, are available on the IAEA Visitor Centre website.

Guided tours can extend beyond the centre itself. Depending on availability, groups may also visit the laboratories on site that focus on plant breeding, food safety, pest control, dosimetry, safeguards, nuclear security and more.

“Whether you’re a student, researcher, journalist, or someone interested in partnering with the IAEA, I invite you to explore and be inspired by the transformative power of science. Through the Agency’s global impact, we show how nuclear innovations are improving lives across every continent.”

B-roll of today’s event and footage of all speakers remarks will be available here.

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Update 314 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

The IAEA team based at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) reported hearing shelling close to the site today and saw black smoke rising from three locations nearby, in the latest incident highlighting continuous nuclear safety risks during the military conflict, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said.

The team was informed by the ZNPP that multiple artillery shells had struck an area outside the ZNPP site parameter around 400 metres from the plant’s off-site diesel fuel storage facility, also known as the diesel fuel farm. This incident is believed to have sparked fires in the affected vegetation, which are under control.

This information was in line with the team’s own observations of sporadic shelling being heard for about two hours from 1:26pm local time, including three rounds close to the site at around 2:30pm. Gunfire was also heard. Smoke from locations outside the site was later observed by the team from the ZNPP’s main administrative building. The team was not yet able to visit the area of the reported shelling but will request it tomorrow morning provided the security situation allows it.

While there were no reports of casualties or equipment damage, the incident once again underlined the constant dangers to nuclear safety and security, Director General Grossi said.

“As I told the IAEA’s General Conference yesterday, military action still endangers the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. What was once virtually unimaginable – shelling or other military activity taking place close to major nuclear facilities – has become a regular occurrence during this horrific war. I’ve repeatedly called for maximum military restraint near nuclear power plants and I do so again today. This must stop before it is too late”, Director General Grossi said.

In his statement to the General Conference, the annual gathering of the IAEA’s Member States, Director General Grossi also said that the Agency’s teams deployed at Ukraine’s other nuclear sites – Chornobyl and the Rivne, South Ukraine and Khmelnytskyy NPPs – have all reported “a significant increase in military activities in recent weeks”.