The Statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA

International Atomic Energy Agency

The International Atomic Energy Agency is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The IAEA was established as an autonomous organization on 29 July 1957...

) defines eight areas from which candidate governments for election to the IAEA Board of Governors are chosen. Unlike the regional groups from which leadership posts at the United Nations are filled, the memberships of the IAEA areas are not strictly defined.

The eight IAEA areas or regional groups are:

• North America, consisting of 2 states;
• Latin America, consisting of 22 states;
• Western Europe, consisting of 24 states;
• Eastern Europe, consisting of 27 states;
• Africa, consisting of 40 or 41 states*;
• Middle East and South Asia, consisting of 18 or 19 states*;
• South East Asia and the Pacific, consisting of 10 states; and
• Far East, consisting of 6 states.

• Egypt has been alternately elected to the Board of Governors as a representative from both the African and the Middle East & South Asian areas. Israel has never been elected to the Board of Governors, as the Middle East and South Asia group refuses to accept it as a member.

Area Membership

Unlike the regional groups from which leadership posts at the United Nations are filled, the memberships of the IAEA areas are not strictly defined. Broadly speaking, the following are members of the respective areas, as of July 2003." However, Israel has never been elected as a member of the Board from any region, and Egypt has on occasion been elected as a member of both the Africa and the Middle East/South Asia groups.

Latin America

Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela

Western Europe

Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holy See, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom

Eastern Europe

Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan

Africa

Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Rep. of the Congo, Egypt (sometimes), Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Middle East and South Asia

Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Egypt (sometimes), India, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Nepal, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

South East Asia and the Pacific

Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Myanmar, New Zealand, Palau, Singapore, Thailand

Allotted Seats

Article VI of the IAEA Statutes sets out four steps in choosing the members of the Board of Governors, only three of which involve the areas.

The Board consists of ten members who are the most advanced in atomic energy technology without regard to geographic representation and an additional number likewise most advanced in each of the eight areas from which any of the initial ten are not chosen. These members are designated for one year terms. The General Conference then elects 22 members from the remaining states to two year terms. Eleven are elected each year and must also represent a stipulated geographic diversity.

The twenty-two members elected by the General Conference include twenty states based on the following allottment for each area:

• five representatives of Latin America;
• four representatives of Western Europe;
• three representatives of Eastern Europe;
• four representatives of Africa;
• two representatives of the Middle East and South Asia;
• one representative of South East Asia and the Pacific; and
• one representative of the Far East;

and two additional states:

• one from among members in either the area of the Middle East and South Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific, or Far East; and
• one from among members in either the area of Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, or South East Asia and the Pacific area.

Amendment to Article VI

The 43rd General Conference (1999) adopted an amendment to Article VI which would expand the Board from 35 to 43 members and give greater proportional representation to developing countries, and require every member state to be identified as a member of one of the eight geographic groups. Israel is currently the only member state which is not recognized as a member any group.

To enter into force, the amendment is required to be ratified by two-thirds of IAEA member states. As of the 50th General Conference (August 2006), only 43 of the agency's 144 member states have done so, fewer than half of the necessary number.