Human Rights at the International Atomic Energy Agency

The International Atomic Energy Agency has targeted the use of the atom for peace and human well-being and has three missions in the field of safeguards, safety and nuclear science and technology. In the area of safeguard and security, which are the missions of a negative nature, if the Agency fails to meet its commitments, the rights such as the right to life, the right to health and the right to the environment will be violated; moreover, in the fields of science and technology and the use of atomic energy for peace, which are the missions of a positive nature, the Agency is required to take actions to realize human rights. Although the Millennium Development Goals are at the center of the Agency's attention, for a number of reasons including the disbelief of the developed countries on the right to development, and the Agency's own disregard for some principles, such as the non-discrimination, as well as the lack of a mechanism to oblige the nuclear states to fulfil their commitment of transferring nuclear knowledge to the developing countries, has made the Agency less successful in the two areas of safeguards and the promotion of peaceful nuclear science and techniques.