Optimizing Organizational Effectiveness

Meeting greater demand for the Agency’s services means increasing the output and agility of the administrative processes that underpin efficient and effective programme delivery to Member States. In this context, efforts have focused on leveraging technology to optimize processes, building staff capacities in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI) and enhancing procurement capabilities. Increasing multilingual communication and outreach also remained important.

Ongoing efforts to increase staff engagement by fostering a supportive working environment were focused on career development, ethical conduct and the physical and mental well-being of all personnel.

A milestone was reached as the representation of women and men in professional and senior management roles reached 50/50% – a goal set by the Director General when he took office in 2019 and the representation of women in the Secretariat was 30%.

We are committed to maximizing value and impact for Member States in support of the Agency’s increasingly relevant global mandate. By streamlining processes and leveraging the latest technology to enhance our effectiveness, we are making sure that our management practices and internal procedures are efficient, agile and adaptable to accommodate new requests. We also prioritize maintaining a supportive environment for our staff, enabling them to perform at their best.

Margaret Doane

Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Management

Managing for results

The Agency continued its efforts to strengthen its results based management (RBM) to improve the clarity and consistency of programme designs across the organization. To this end, the interdepartmental RBM Coordination Group helps to coordinate, implement and ensure the quality RBM application throughout the programme cycle. In 2024, the Agency prepared the draft Programme and Budget for 2026–2027, which is informed by lessons learned from previous biennia and from various reviews and assessments, as well as internal and external evaluation. The Agency continued its efforts to improve its risk management system and processes throughout the programme cycle and to support accountability and decision making. In addition, it consistently mainstreamed cross-cutting issues throughout all phases of the RBM cycle.

Performance indicators were further refined to measure programme performance. For example, performance indicator metrics including baselines, targets and means of verification were reviewed to gauge programme performance and report to Member States in a meaningful manner. In addition, a dedicated internal mid-year review exercise, using performance indicators to track actual results against planned targets, was leveraged to strengthen performance monitoring. To assess the impact of its activities in Member States, the Agency continued to draw analysis from the knowledge tests and participant follow-up surveys for better and more timely measurement of capacity-building results.

The Agency continues to collaborate with the wider UN system and other international actors, including through the UN Strategic Planning Network (UNSPN) and the OECD Development Assistance Committee Results Community to contribute to and continuously learn from best practices in applying RBM for better results.

Maintaining an enabling
environment

Strengthening staff competencies

By the end of 2024, almost 90% of managers had completed the Leadership Development Programme.

The mentoring initiative, sponsored by the Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Management, supported 169 mentor-mentee pairs.

A new career development initiative, Career Development Conversations, was launched to assist staff in crafting individual career plans.

Increasing staff engagement

By the end of 2024, some 2000
staff members had taken part in engagement surveys covering topics such as performance, communication and well-being.
The results helped to establish baselines to measure further progress in these areas.

The Ethics function delivered training and outreach aimed at fostering a ‘speak-up culture’ and ensuring that personnel understand and demonstrate the Agency’s core values and standards of conduct.

Supporting staff well-being

Staff physical and mental well-being was supported through preventative care, including 4000 vaccinations and 1500 counselling sessions. In addition, a nursing room was opened at the Seibersdorf site.

To make further progress towards the inclusion of persons with disabilities, an independent accessibility assessment was conducted of the Agency’s premises at the Vienna International Centre and at the laboratories in Seibersdorf.

Innovation and agility

The increased use of advanced IT services and tools enhances both efficiency and effectiveness across the Agency by streamlining processes and enabling the data-driven management of operations. In 2024, the Department of Management:
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Enhanced IT solutions and platforms to support the technical Departments, for example by leveraging AI tools such as large language models for translation and robotics process automation in finance. Online portals were launched to facilitate the implementation of key programmes and information sharing.
Supported faster innovation by increasing the number of staff trained in IT tools and technologies by 48%, and trained over 500 staff on data analytics skills to enhance productivity and efficiency.
Maintained a clear focus on information security to respond to the increasing reliance on IT and the growing complexity of IT threats. The Agency also made further strides in securing IT infrastructure that monitors, detects and responds to IT and information security risks and maintained ISO/IEC 27001 certification for its information security system, which demands high standards of performance.
Implemented a new fast-track emergency procurement procedure that significantly enhances the Agency’s ability to rapidly procure and deliver life-saving equipment. This enabled swift support in critical situations in Ukraine, as well as in other emergency responses, including in Cuba, Grenada, Honduras, the Syrian Arab Republic and Tu?rkiye.
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Women in the Secretariat

By the end of 2024, the percentage of women in the Professional and higher categories had reached 50%, and in senior management positions (D level or higher) it was 48%, with the highest standards of efficiency, technical competence and integrity being upheld.

Partnership and resource mobilization

The Agency continued providing support to Member States, including through flagship initiatives focusing on key areas of the applications of nuclear science and technology. Emphasis is placed on areas such as cancer care, food safety and security, disease prevention, ocean protection and women in nuclear, through Rays of Hope, Atoms4Food, ZODIAC, NUTEC Plastics, the IAEA Marie Sk?odowska-Curie Fellowship Programme and the Lise Meitner Programme, and on support to Ukraine.

The Agency is continuously expanding its strategic collaboration with other UN system and international organizations. For example, cooperation with the United Nations Environment Management Group proved pivotal in increasing outreach and visibility and facilitating the implementation of programme activities related to marine pollution, specifically those addressing marine microplastic pollution and ocean acidification. Close collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) led to a joint publication on the sustainable management of radiotherapy facilities and equipment. This partnership was important in ensuring that there were no overlaps between Member State needs addressed by the Agency and those addressed by WHO. The partnership between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Agency was expanded beyond the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture through a joint initiative, Atoms4Food, which aims to support Member State efforts to tackle growing hunger and boost food security.

In 2024, €195 million in extrabudgetary contributions were mobilized. Of this, around €5 million were mobilized through non-traditional partners — a significant increase compared to 2023. The Agency will continue to seek opportunities to mobilize new streams of public and private finance and expand partnerships, including with non-traditional donors, in order to boost its ability to support Member States. The mobilization of knowledge and innovation from partners will remain a key focus of the Agency’s work, where appropriate.

Reaching a global audience

The expansion of multilingualism and outreach remained a priority, with efforts to diversify the range of output formats for publications and other materials and to increase the use of e-publishing and the electronic dissemination of conference materials.

In Focus 2024

Optimizing Organizational Effectiveness

Maintaining an enablingenvironment

Women in the Secretariat

Reaching a global audience

Maintaining an enabling
environment