The IAEA is an international organization acting as the leading world’s intergovernmental forum and the global coordinator for scientific and technical cooperation in the field of using nuclear energy and nuclear technologies for peaceful purposes. In addition, the IAEA acts as the international inspectorate for the application of nuclear inspection oversight measures, that is, verification measures applied to civilian nuclear programmes.
The IAEA was established in 1957 as an autonomous organization under the auspices of the United Nations. Today it comprises a number of services, programmes and activities, which are based on the Member States’ needs. According to the latest official data of February 2016, the IAEA has 168 Member States, with additional six countries approved for membership and waiting to become Member States once they deposit the necessary legal instruments. The Agency whose headquarters are in Vienna has offices in the UN in New York, Rome, Geneva, inspection oversight offices in Toronto and Tokyo, as well as the laboratories in Austria and Monaco. The IAEA also supports the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, which is now administered by UNESCO.
The strategy and policies of the Agency are established at the proposal of the Board of Governors at the General Conference. The Secretariat of the Policy-Making Organs, managed by the diector and six deputies, is responsible for programme and activity implementation.
In accordance with the decision at the 45th General Conference, the Republic of Serbia was accepted into the IAEA membership on 31 October 2001. This meant that our country besides the assumed international obligations, acquired rights and opportunities stemming from the full membership in this international organization.
The Republic of Serbia maintains its cooperation with the IAEA by engaging into different activities through the IAEA programmes, especially the Technical Cooperation Programme (projects, scientific and consultant visits, training courses, conferences, meetings and other types of cooperation). The cooperation and coordination on the national level was administered by The Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development between May 2010 and December 2018 by means of liaison channels in Serbian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (SRPNA). Today, this is conducted through liaison office (NLO/NLA) in the Serbian Radiation and Nuclear Safety and Security Directorate (SRBATOM).
National Liaison Officer with the IAEA in the Republic of Serbia is Mr Sladjan Velinov. National Liasion Assistant with the IAEA in the Republic of Serbia is Ms Milijana Steljic.
The IAEA recognizes only the state channels in proposal submission and any other form of official communication. The subjects from Serbia (scientific and research organizations, and other organizations and institutions) submit their proposals according to invitations the IAEA sends to our country, and based on circular or web-based information to SRBATOM. Participation of the representatives of the Republic of Serbia is proposed exclusively through the liaison office with the IAEA in SRBATOM, which is the focal point in the Republic of Serbia in terms of coordination, harmonization/alignment or mutual communication.
For further information on the International Atomic Energy Agency, go to: http://www.iaea.org/.