ABSTRACT
In this chapter the author assesses the issue of governance at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from the perspective of his time as chairman of its Board of Governors. He focuses on the implementation of the Model Additional Protocol, and the IAEA's responses to Iranian noncompliance and to the Fukushima accident. The IAEA's mandate is to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, while acting as a watchdog to verify compliance of states party to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty through a system of legally binding safeguards against proliferation. Iran's nuclear program shows the limitations of the Board of Governors and the Director General in tackling and resolving issues of major national security importance for many members. In the aftermath of the Fukushima accident, the IAEA convened the Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety in Vienna in June 2011. In addition to weaknesses in budgetary management, a built-in governance weakness hampered the budget negotiation process.
