IAEA Regional Offices Study

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had to adapt and draw on all available resources to ensure continued success in its mission, including its safeguards activities verifying nuclear science, technology, materials, and facilities are used strictly for peaceful applications. As an international organization with responsibilities that include providing inspections internationally, the inability to easily travel between states due to pandemic restrictions posed financial and personnel problems, raising questions about the limitations of existing resources and the value, if any, of possessing geographically “distributed” IAEA resources around the world. In the past, additional offices have been a topic of discussion for the IAEA. Such discussions received little traction and resulted in no changes. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, across nearly all sectors of the economy, the concept of work location has become increasingly fluid and dynamic. While much of the Agency’s safeguards work will likely require a return to the way operations were carried out pre-pandemic (including on-site inspections and other inperson activities), assessing the viability of new work arrangements and locations could result in opportunities to reduce costs and increase efficiency across the Agency’s operations as well as increase resiliency and flexibility in the face of unpredictable difficulties. This study explains, in greater detail, the concepts outlined above and provides an overview of IAEA facilities to-date, assesses current trends in remote work and their relevance for the IAEA safeguards mission, and explores options to mitigate potential risks identified. It concludes with the following recommendations: • Encourage Continued Use of Remote Connectivity Resources • Leverage Shared Spaces with Other United Nations Organizations • Evaluate Potential Hybrid Inspector Arrangements.