The International Atomic Energy Agency is an international organization created in 1957, under the auspices of the UN, based in Vienna, whose main task is to contribute to the development and practical use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes and to the development of scientific research in this field. The main organs of the agency are the General Conference, the Board of Governors and the Secretariat. In 2020, the number of IAEA Member States has been expanded to 172 Member States, with the accession of four new members to the IAEA - Cape Verde, Guinea, Samoa, Gambia, Tonga - Tobago. Currently, 178 states have signed Guarantee Agreements with the IAEA, of which 109 are also parties to the Additional Protocols (10 new states signed the Protocols during 2011). Regarding technical assistance programs, The IAEA is currently implementing projects in 123 countries around the world, of which 681 projects are in their active phase, 244 are completed and one project has been suspended in Argentina. According to the figures presented, most projects are implemented in the field of the nuclear fuel cycle (27%), followed by human health (18.3%) and nuclear safety (16.1%). Other segments aim at staff training (9.6%); development of radioactive technologies (8.3%); as well as food and agriculture (7.6%).
The accession of the Republic of Moldova to the IAEA was enshrined by the act of ratification of the statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency on August 14, 1997. The Republic of Moldova ratified the Agreement with the IAEA on the application of safeguards in relation to and the Additional Protocol to this Agreement. At the same time, on May 16, 2006, law no. 111 on the safe conduct of nuclear and radiological activities, by which the National Agency for the Regulation of Nuclear and Radiological Activities was established.
The cooperation of the Republic of Moldova within the IAEA contributes to the training of our country's specialists in the fields of competence of the Agency, as well as to the increase of the capacities for detecting and combating the illicit trafficking of nuclear and radiological materials. The technical assistance provided by the IAEA has benefited from central and local public institutions working in the field of radiation protection, safety of radiological sources, monitoring of environmental pollution with radionuclides, monitoring of dams, efficient reaction in case of exceptional situations, transfer and implementation of nuclear technologies. ecology etc. We mention that in 2012 there was a positive dynamic in the relations with the Agency, namely the entry into force for the Republic of Moldova of the Additional Protocol to the Guarantee Agreement (June 1, 2012), the signing of the Country Framework Program 2012-2017 (CPF), and the adoption the joint decision on the opening in Chisinau of the Center for Continuing Education of Personnel in the Field of Nuclear and Cyber Security (NSSC).