Slovakia Secures Seat on IAEA Board of Governors after 11 Years

Bratislava/Vienna, 17 September (TASR) - Slovakia was elected as a member of the IAEA Board of Governors for the 2026–2028 term at the current session of the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna on Thursday, returning to one of the agency's main decision-making bodies after 11 years, TASR learnt from the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry on the same day. "This is another sign of Slovakia's international recognition as a responsible and respected international partner. We're among the countries with the highest share of nuclear power in electricity generation in the world. We have decades of experience, a strong expert base and we know what the safe development of nuclear energy requires in practice. We therefore see our election to the IAEA Board of Governors not only as recognition, but also as a commitment to bringing our experience to the IAEA's decision-making," said Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD). Slovakia's priorities will include strengthening nuclear safety, supporting independent and effective IAEA safeguards and verification, as well as the safe and peaceful use of nuclear energy, science and technology. According to Blanar, Slovakia wants to share practical experience, support capacity building, transfer expertise, and foster technical cooperation, particularly with states that are just beginning to utilise nuclear energy. Slovakia will be represented on the Board by Nuclear Regulatory Authority chair Marta Ziakova, while her deputy will be Peter Burian, Slovakia's Permanent Representative to the UN, to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and other international organisations headquartered in Vienna. Their mandates were approved by the Slovak government in August this year. The IAEA was established in 1957. Headquartered in Vienna, it currently has 182 member states, and its main objective is to promote the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear energy and nuclear technologies. Slovakia has been its member since 1993. The Board of Governors consists of 35 members and serves as one of the main decision-making bodies of the IAEA in the period between sessions of the General Conference. In this year's election, a total of 11 member states were elected; alongside Slovakia, these included Angola, Brazil, Greece, Honduras, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, New Zealand and Sweden. Slovakia's mandate begins after the conclusion of the 70th session of the General Conference on 18 September and will run until the end of the 72nd session, which is scheduled for September 2028. Slovakia has previously served on the Board of Governors four times: in 1994–1996, 1998–2000, 2004–2006 and 2013–2015. It also chaired this governing body in 2014-2015. jrg