To fulfil its mission, the Agency will:
Serve as a forum for sharing and analysing information and experience among member countries, by:
- maintaining an efficient communications network among nuclear experts;
- interacting with the main players in the nuclear field, promoting an open dialogue among operators, regulators, government policy specialists, research and development specialists, international organisations and other stakeholders;
- involving selected non-member partner countries with good non-proliferation credentials, particularly those that are significant players in the nuclear field and that can provide added value to the Agency’s activities;
- alerting policy makers and regulators to significant scientific developments and their implications; preparing state-of-the-art reports that summarise current knowledge in specific technical or regulatory policy areas; ensuring appropriate dissemination of the scientific and technical results of its work; and
- elevating its visibility in member countries and in the international community as an objective and non-promotional organisation.
Foster international co-operation in the nuclear field, by:
- helping to identify common issues, lessons and opportunities, including with selected non-member partner countries as described above;
- facilitating the development of consensus positions, including “collective opinions”, among member countries; developing best practices, common strategies and joint approaches to address pressing issues;
- identifying and addressing gaps in scientific knowledge needing to be filled in support of policy, regulatory and technical decisions; facilitating the development, organisation and co-ordination of internationally funded research projects and other joint undertakings; and
- pursuing strategic collaboration with international organisations in areas of mutual interest.
Help member countries to pool and maintain their technical expertise and human infrastructure, and support their nuclear activities, by:
- assessing developments in the state of the art, documenting experiments and maintaining databases across a range that serves the needs of technical specialists, decision makers, opinion leaders and stakeholders, using, when appropriate, economic tools;
- collaborating on joint events and activities with the IAEA and other relevant organisations on topics of mutual interest in the nuclear energy field;
- providing advice as a scientific, technical, economic and legal centre of nuclear competence;
- contributing to the management and preservation of nuclear knowledge developed through past member country and NEA programmes and experience;
- supporting member countries in their efforts to secure qualified human resources, nuclear skills capability building and the development of a new generation of nuclear experts; and organising peer reviews.
Provide member countries with nuclear policy analyses, by:
- carrying out studies on fundamental aspects of current and future use of nuclear technologies, including life cycle regulation and economic analyses;
- contributing to studies on broader issues, including those carried out within the OECD on energy and green growth;
- drawing on the expertise, products and analytical methods of OECD family organisations; and taking into account human and societal issues as well as concerns of the general public.
