The four candidates for the post of Director General presented their candidatures during an informal meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors today, as part of the process to appoint the sixth head of the Agency since it was established in 1957. The meeting was open to all IAEA Members, who could also pose questions to the candidates.
The nominated candidates are, in alphabetical order:
- Cornel Feruta of Romania
- Rafael Mariano Grossi of Argentina
- Lassina Zerbo of Burkina Faso
- Marta Ziakova of Slovakia
They were nominated by their governments in accordance with the procedures for appointing a new Director General agreed by the Board on 1 August after the passing of Director General Yukiya Amano.
The Board expects to appoint a Director General in October and envisages that the person appointed will assume office no later than 1 January 2020.
The Chairperson of the Board of Governors, Ambassador Mikaela Kumlin Granit of Sweden, said today's meeting was an important step in the appointment process.
"The meeting gave the candidates the opportunity to present themselves and answer questions. I hope it will be helpful in allowing Member States to decide who they believe should lead this important organization," Kumlin Granit said.
The 35-member IAEA Board of Governors appoints the new Director General for a term of four years. Its decision will be submitted for approval to the IAEA General Conference, which consists of representatives of all 171 Member States.
Mr Amano was the IAEA's fifth Director General. He was first appointed to the office effective December 2009 and reappointed in 2013 and 2017. He passed away in July 2019. He followed Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General from 1997 to 2009; Hans Blix, Director General from 1981 to 1997; Sigvard Eklund, Director General from 1961 to 1981; and William Sterling Cole, Director General from 1957 to 1961.
