Yukiya Amano has been reappointed as the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and will serve a new four-year-term in office.
IAEA Conference President Maria Zeneida Angara Collinson, the Philippines’ permanent delegate to the UN nuclear watchdog, announced the reappointment of Amano at the organization’s 61st General Conference in Vienna on Monday.
Amano, in a speech delivered after taking the oath of office, said he would continue his efforts for the peaceful use of nuclear energy, upgrading nuclear security and preventing nuclear proliferation.
“In the coming years, I will continue to implement our Atoms for Peace and Development mandate energetically and in an impartial and transparent manner, under the guidance of the Board of Governors, and for the benefit of all member states,” said Amano.
The IAEA has three main bodies: the Board of Governors, the General Conference, and the Secretariat.
The Board of Governors is one of the two policy-making bodies of the IAEA. The Board consists of 22 member states elected by the General Conference, and at least 10 member states nominated by the outgoing Board.
The General Conference is made up of all 168 member states. It meets once a year, typically in September, to approve the actions and budgets passed on from the Board of Governors. The General Conference also approves the nominee for the post of director general.
The Secretariat is the staff of the IAEA. The Secretariat is headed by the director general. The director general is responsible for enforcement of the actions passed by the Board of Governors and the General Conference.
Amano has been director general of the IAEA since December 1, 2009.
Amano and his IAEA predecessor, Mohamed ElBaradei, were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on 7 October 2005.
His third stint as director general begins on December 1, 2017.