National Atomic Energy Agency

On 26 February, Poland and Canada, as members of the IAEA Board of Governors, requested that an emergency meeting be called in connection with the aggression of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine and the related implications for nuclear safety and radiological protection. The Board’s meeting, at which Poland and Canada submitted a draft resolution deploring Russian aggression against Ukraine and calling for the cessation of all military actions against nuclear facilities, began on 2 March.

The resolution was adopted by the IAEA Board of Governors on March 3 by 26 votes to 2 (Russia and China), with 5 abstentions. In the resolution, the Board of Governors:

1. Deplores the Russian Federation’s actions in Ukraine, including forcefully seizing control of nuclear facilities and other violent actions in connection with a number of nuclear facilities, nuclear and other radioactive material, which have caused and continue to pose serious and direct threats to the safety and security of these facilities and their civilian personnel, significantly raising the risk of a nuclear accident or incident, which endangers the population of Ukraine, neighbouring States and the international community;
2. Expresses further grave concern that the Russian Federation’s aggression is impeding the Agency from fully and safely conducting safeguards verification activities at Ukrainian nuclear facilities within its internationally recognised borders, in accordance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Ukraine’s safeguards agreement and the Statute;
3. Calls upon the Russian Federation to immediately cease all actions against, and at, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and any other nuclear facility in Ukraine, in order for the competent Ukrainian authorities to preserve or promptly regain full control over all nuclear facilities within Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders and ensure their safe and secure operations, and in order for the Agency to fully resume its safeguards verification activities, including the necessary verification of material accountancy and control; and
4. Requests that the Director General and the Secretariat continue to closely monitor the situation, with a special focus on the safety and security of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities and report to the Board on these elements, as required.

The Board of Governors consists of 35 Member States. Along with the annual General Conference, it is one of the two bodies of the International Atomic Energy Agency responsible for the direction of its activities. The Board reviews and makes recommendations to the General Conference on the IAEA's financial statements, program tasks and budget. Reviews applications for Agency membership, approves IAEA safety standards and nuclear security agreements.

Poland is a member of the Board of Governors for the 2020 - 2022 term. By participating in the work of the Board, Poland has a direct impact on the functioning of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Established in 1957, the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) is a specialized, autonomous agency of the United Nations system, established to coordinate all activities related to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy worldwide. It promotes nuclear technology applications, develops uniform standards for nuclear safety and radiological protection, and performs tasks under the international nuclear non-proliferation regime. Poland is a founding member of the IAEA.