The Board of Governors, at its March 1995 session, established the Standing Advisory Group on Technical Assistance and Cooperation (SAGTAC) to advise the IAEA Director General (DG) on the Agency's technical cooperation (TC) activities. Since then, SAGTAC has fulfilled an important role, advising the DG on strategies, plans, priorities and policies relevant to the TC programme, with the intention of enhancing the programme's effectiveness and efficiency.
SAGTAC's functions include providing recommendations on, for example, ways to identify evolving areas where the IAEA can make a difference in Member States through TC assistance, as well as on the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of key TC activities in terms of their relevance to Member State needs, and on identifying best management approaches.
Typically, the membership of SAGTAC comprises some 20 senior experts, who are appointed by the DG. These senior experts are drawn from national regulatory authorities, technological centres and academic institutions, and consideration is also given to geographic and gender balance, representation from developed and developing countries, and managerial and scientific backgrounds. Members are expected to contribute, in their own personal capacity, their experiences in international development, or international or regional technical cooperation. The objective is to provide a fresh perspective on the TC programme, which is translated into recommendations to the DG and senior TC managers, with the aim of strengthening the IAEA's TC programme. SAGTAC meets at least once a year. This year's meeting, which took place in Vienna, 7 to 10 July, marks 20 years of SAGTAC activity.
