Unleashing the Nuclear Watchdog: Strengthening and Reform of the IAEA

The events at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in March 2011 and the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) part in the international response to the disaster, underscored the critical role the IAEA continues to play in ensuring global nuclear safety. The world’s hub of cooperation in the nuclear field, the IAEA is the nucleus around which all other parts of the global nuclear governance system revolve, promoting safe, secure and peaceful nuclear technologies. In this 160-page report by CIGI Senior Fellow Trevor Findlay, all aspects of the Agency’s mandate and operations ― from its major programs on safeguards, safety, security and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy to governance, management and finance ― are examined. Unleashing the Nuclear Watchdog confirms that the IAEA requires strengthening and reform in certain areas, but does not need a dramatic overhaul. The report includes key strategic and programmatic recommendations.