Navigating the IAEA Budget Process

Every two years, Member States of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) negotiate the Programme and Budget of the Agency, defining the resources available for the IAEA’s activities in the coming biennium. Every other year, Member States negotiate a budget adjustment for the second year of the biennium. The IAEA Programme and Budget is one of the most important documents negotiated by the Member States.

The “Navigating the IAEA Budget Process” brief explains the negotiation of the Agency’s budget, its composition and its intricacies . The brief provides a comparison of the allocation of funds towards the regular budget versus extrabudgetary funds over time, describes some niche aspects of the budget, such as what “shielding” is and what the consequences of late or non-payment are. The brief also brings attention to the resource deficit faced by the IAEA and what is being done to mitigate that deficit.

The “Governing the Atom” brief series presents easily digestible and factual information to experts and government representatives on critical nuclear governance issues and  aids States in  their decision making in critical issues related to working with international organisations and regimes, including the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Comprehensive Nuclear‑Test‑Ban Treaty Organization, as well as on arms control and disarmament, nuclear export controls, nuclear security, and other relevant topics.