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Legislative assistance

Comprehensive and coherent national legislation is essential to ensure the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies. The IAEA offers legislative assistance to its Member States in developing such legislation and in understanding and implementing international legal instruments in this field.

The IAEA legislative assistance programme creates awareness among Member States of the international instruments in the nuclear field and assists them in complying with their international obligations and commitments, as well as with the drafting of corresponding national nuclear legislation.

The Section is also responsible for implementing the University Partnership Programme on Nuclear Law, a pilot initiative established following the IAEA’s First International Conference on Nuclear Law: The Global Debate in April 2022, to help increase education and professional development opportunities for students and aspiring professionals in the field of international and national nuclear law.

Legislative assistance is available upon request to all Member States, regardless of the extent of their nuclear activities. The programme is of particular benefit to those States that are either in the process of establishing new national nuclear legislation, updating existing legislation or otherwise consolidating their national nuclear legal framework. For those Member States that have joined international treaties in the nuclear field, there may also be an obligation to revise their national legislation.

The legislative assistance programme covers all branches of nuclear law: nuclear safety; nuclear security; safeguards and non-proliferation; and liability for nuclear damage.

Legislative assistance ranges from national and regional training courses and seminars to individual training programmes, including the Nuclear Law Institute. It also includes bilateral assistance in drafting nuclear laws and the development of reference material, such as the Handbook on Nuclear Law and its second volume, Handbook on Nuclear Law: Implementing Legislation.

Member States that wish to obtain legislative assistance from the IAEA should contact the Agency’s Office of Legal Affairs.

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