Accidental or malicious releases of radionuclides into the environment threatens life and disrupts socio-economic development. The scope typically involves local events but these may result in international or even global consequences. The nature, occurrence, or consequences of such events are not foreseeable. Thus Governments have to develop and implement emergency plans to mitigate the impact of such events. FAO and IAEA are full parties to the early notification and assistance conventions. IAEA coordinates these activities internationally.

FAO will assist Member States with their requests to respond effectively to nuclear emergencies  through the provision of training support, and the development, co-ordination and implementation of procedures and response mechanisms. The programme will also cater to international co-ordination of FAO's activities with relevant UN and other international agencies, in particular the IAEA.

The main long-term objectives of the Emergency Response Activities are:

1. To develop and improve Members' capabilities to respond nuclear or radiological emergencies;
2. To co-ordinate FAO activities with those of other relevant international agencies to ensure optimum programme effectiveness.

FAO and IAEA each have comparative advantages in responding to nuclear emergencies. The comparative advantages of FAO include (i) its technical and operational capacity to contribute to coordinated international intervention in the event of a nuclear disaster and (ii) the network of national FAO representative offices covering 128 countries which would play a significant role in assisting FAO member countries in the development of national nuclear emergency preparedness and response plans for agriculture. The comparative advantage of IAEA is a finely honed emergency response centre (ERC), laboratories and scientific network. The signing into force of the FAO IAEA Arrangement marked an important step in realizing these complementary activities. The Arrangement assigns responsibilities and outlines the operational aspects for information exchange between FAO and IAEA in the event of a nuclear or radiological emergency affecting agriculture.

FAO's Emergency Coordination Group, through the priority area for interdisciplinary action REHAB ( Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Preparedness and Post-Emergency Relief and Rehabilitation) oversees the implementation of the arrangement for FAO. A network of technical experts was formed on February 14, 2003 to develop and implement the relevant REHAB tasks. The Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture is FAO's focal point under the FAO IAEA Arrangement and is expected to man the FAO desk in the IAEA Emergency Response Centre. Operationally, the Special Emergency Programmes Service (TCES) is FAO's operational focal point responsible for responding to nuclear emergencies related to food safety and security.