The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), founded in 1957 and headquartered in Vienna, Austria, is the world's principal intergovernmental forum for cooperation in the nuclear field. Its mandate centres on promoting the safe, secure, and peaceful use of nuclear technologies while working to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons. The agency operates across technical domains including nuclear safety and security, safeguards and verification, nuclear technology applications, and nuclear information management.
The IAEA's work spans multiple industry verticals - nuclear energy, healthcare, food security, and environmental protection. It maintains several key global databases, including the Power Reactor Information System (PRIS), the International Nuclear Information System (INIS), and the Incident and Trafficking Database, which together support comprehensive nuclear information management worldwide.
The agency employs approximately 2,500 staff members drawn from over 100 countries, reflecting its character as an international organisation. Its technical cooperation programmes connect member states across the globe, supporting capacity building and the transfer of nuclear knowledge and expertise.
