ABSTRACT
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards inspections in nuclear facilities to verify that the fissionable material is used for peaceful purposes only. Many of the IAEA programmes contribute directly or indirectly to the goals of sustainable development and protection of the environment as set out in Agenda 21, the outcome of the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development. The IAEA also takes an active role in interagency co-ordination of the implementation of Agenda 21. The IAEA Marine Environment Laboratory (MEL) in Monaco responds regularly to requests for technical assistance from many other UN agencies, international organizations, and governments. MEL also conducts regional exercises for quality assurance in the Mediterranean, the Persian Gulf area, the western and southeast Pacific, west and central Africa, east Africa, South-East Asia, the Caribbean, the south-west Atlantic, the Arctic, the Baltic, and the Black Sea.
