Yukiya Amano Reelected As UN Nuclear Agency Chief

Mr. Yukiya Amano has been reappointed to a second term as Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

AsianScientist (Mar. 18, 2013) – Mr. Yukiya Amano, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was reappointed by the Board of Governors on March 6 to a further term of office for four years, from December 1, 2013 to November 30, 2017.

His reappointment will need to be approved by the General Conference at its next regular session in September.

Established in 1957, the Vienna-based intergovernmental organization is the global center for cooperation in nuclear applications, energy, science, and technology. The Agency works with its Member States and partners to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons and promote safe, secure, and peaceful nuclear technologies.

Amano previously served as Chair of the Agency’s Board of Governors from September 2005 to September 2006, and as Japan’s Resident Representative to the Agency from 2005 until his election to the Director General position in July 2009. He has also served as a Japanese diplomat and international civil servant for the United Nations and its subdivisions.

“As in my first term, I will be guided by the mandate of the IAEA. That includes the peaceful use of nuclear technologies for health, for protection of environment, for food production and other issues. The mandate also of course includes to help to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. I will pursue these objectives in a balanced manner,” said Amano in a statement on his reelection.

To mark the second anniversary of the Fukushima Daiichi accident, on March 11, 2013, Amano said that the IAEA will continue to give priority to supporting Japan’s recovery from the nuclear accident. In addition, the IAEA is also helping to ensure that a similar event does not happen again, he said.

“Working together, the IAEA’s 159 Member States have already made significant progress in upgrading nuclear safety. Our efforts are guided by the IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety, which was unanimously endorsed by our Member States in September 2011,” said Amano.

Amano said that all Member States with nuclear power plants have completed stress tests and taken practical steps to expand and diversify safety measures. An expanded IAEA expert peer review now covers areas such as the operational safety of a country’s nuclear power plants, the effectiveness of its regulatory system, and its emergency preparedness and response arrangements, he said.

“We have thoroughly reviewed the IAEA safety standards and ways to improve them. The worst elements of the accident are behind us and we are now in the post-accident phase. We must maintain the momentum of constant improvement. I pledge that the IAEA will continue to work vigorously to help Member States to ensure nuclear safety,” said Amano.

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Source: IAEA.
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