The International Atomic Energy Agency is the world's central intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical cooperation in the nuclear field. It works for the safe, secure and peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology, contributing to international peace and security and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. The Statute of the IAEA was approved on 23 October 1956 by the Conference on the Statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which was held at the Headquarters of the United Nations. It came into force on 29 July 1957. The IAEA works in close partnership with Member States, United Nations agencies, research organizations and civil society to maximize the contribution of nuclear science and technology to the achievement of development priorities. The IAEA, in line with its ‘Atoms for Peace and Development’ mandate, supports countries in their efforts to reach the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out in the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Many countries use nuclear science and technology to contribute to and meet their development objectives in areas including energy, human health, food production, water management and environmental protection. The use of these techniques contributes directly to nine of the 17 SDGs. The IAEA fosters sustainable nuclear energy development by supporting existing and new nuclear programmes around the world. It provides technical support on the nuclear fuel cycle and the life cycle of nuclear facilities, and builds indigenous capability in energy planning, analysis, and nuclear information and knowledge management. The Agency also covers a broad range of socio-economic sectors, from health, food and agriculture to the environment, water resources and industry and assists Member States meet their development needs through nuclear science, technology and innovation. It also works with laboratories, universities and research facilities worldwide through the IAEA Collaborating Centre scheme. The protection of people, society and the environment from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation is at the heart of the activities developed in the scope of nuclear safety and security. Whether the cause is an unsafe act or a security breach, it aims at providing a strong, sustainable and visible global nuclear safety and security framework. It is also part of the IAEA duties and responsibilities to be the world’s nuclear inspectorate, supporting global efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. Finally, at the level of technical cooperation the IAEA promote tangible socioeconomic impacts, supporting the use of nuclear science and technology to address major sustainable development priorities at the national, regional and interregional levels.