Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency

The Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is one of the two policy making bodies of the IAEA, along with the annual General Conference of IAEA members.

The Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
AbbreviationIAEA BoG
Formation29 July 1957 (66 years ago) (29 July 1957)
TypeIntergovernmental organization
Legal statusActive
HeadquartersVienna, Austria
Chair
Holger Federico Martinsen
Parent organization
United Nations Security Council
Staff (2023)
2,500[1]
Award(s)Nobel Peace Prize (2005)

The Board is responsible, 'inter alia', for approving safeguards agreements and for approving publication of IAEA safety standards. The Board appoints the IAEA Director General, subject to approval by the General Conference, and makes recommendations to the General Conference on the IAEA's program and budget.

The Board generally meets five times per year: in March and June, twice in September (before and after the General Conference) and in November.[2]

Membership

The Board consists of 35 IAEA Member States, each with a single vote. Thirteen are designated by the previous Board as being either among the ten countries most advanced in atomic energy technology or the most advanced from any of the eight regional groups not represented by the first ten.

Twenty-two Board Members are elected by the IAEA General Conference to two-year terms, eleven each year, and twenty IAEA member states are elected to the Board by the General Conference based on the following geographic distribution:

Regional groupMembers
Latin America5
Western Europe4
Eastern Europe3
Africa4
Middle East & South Asia2
Southeast Asia & Pacific1
Far East1
Total20

Two additional members are also elected, one from each of the following sets of areas:

  1. rotating among Africa, Middle East and South Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific
  2. rotating among Middle East and South Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific, Far East.[3]

The 35 members for the period 2023–2024 are: Algeria, Armenia, Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, the Republic of Korea, Namibia, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Qatar, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Uruguay and Ukraine.[2]

Historic compositions of the Board

The following countries were included in the first five compositions of the Board:

YearTen Most AdvancedThree AdditionalContinuing membersElected by the General Conference
1957---Argentina
Australia
Brazil
Canada
Czechoslovakia
France
Guatemala
India
Indonesia
Italy
Japan
South Korea
Pakistan
Peru
Portugal
Romania
Sweden
Turkey
South Africa
USSR
United Arab Republic
United Kingdom
United States[4]
1958Australia
Brazil
Canada
France
India
Japan
South Africa
USSR
United Kingdom
United States
Belgium
Denmark
Poland[5]
Argentina
South Korea
Pakistan
Romania
Turkey[6]
Netherlands
United Arab Republic
Indonesia
Venezuela
Peru[7]
1959as aboveCzechoslovakia
Norway
Portugal[8]
Netherlands
United Arab Republic
Indonesia
Venezuela
Peru
Bulgaria
Ceylon
Philippines
Mexico
Spain[9]
1960as aboveBelgium
Finland
Poland
Bulgaria
Ceylon
Philippines
Mexico
Spain
Iraq
Thailand
Argentina
El Salvador
West Germany[10]
1961as aboveCzechoslovakia
Portugal
Sweden[11]
Iraq
Thailand
Argentina
El Salvador
West Germany
Hungary
Pakistan
Viet Nam
Colombia
Greece[12]

List of Chairs

Name[13]NationalityTermDuration
HE Mr Ivo Sramek Czech3 October 2022[14] – 2 October 2023364 days
HE Mr Holger Federico Martinsen Argentine2 October 2023[15] – present257 days

List of Vice-Chairs

NameNationalityTermDuration
HE Mr Eoin O'Leary[16] Irish3 October 2022 – 2 October 2023364 days
HE Mr Carlos Sérgio Sobral Duarte[16] Brazilian3 October 2022 – 2 October 2023364 days
HE Ms Emilia Kraleva[17] Bulgarian2 October 2023 – present257 days
HE Mr Peter Potman[17] Argentine2 October 2023 – present257 days

References