IAEA selects Canadian ambassador to lead its governing board

The United Nations nuclear watchdog agency has chosen Canadian Ambassador Ingrid Hall to serve as the Chair of its Board of Governors for the 2004-2005 working year.

Ms. Hall, who takes over from Antonio Núñez García-Saúco of Spain, heads a 35-member Board of Governors at the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The Board also elected Pakistan's Parvez Butt and Poland's Jerzy Niewodniczanski as Vice-Chairpersons for the year ahead.

The Board's responsibilities include supervising the IAEA's budget and programme, considering applications by nations for membership, approving safeguards agreements and appointing the Director-General.

The countries currently represented on the board are: Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Ecuador, France, Germany, Ghana, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Portugal, the Russian Federation, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Tunisia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Venezuela, Viet Nam and Yemen.