He began his diplomatic career in the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1964, serving in the Permanent Missions of Egypt to the United Nations in New York and Geneva. He has been a senior member of IAEA Secretariat since 1984, holding several high-level policy positions, including representative of the Director General of IAEA to the United Nations in New York, the Agency's Legal Adviser and Director of the Legal Division. He was subsequently appointed Head of the Division of External Relations and Assistant Director General for External Relations. ElBaradei became Director General of IAEA on 1 December 1997. IAEA' s mandate is to focus on nuclear technology and to ensure that it is used safely and exclusively for peaceful purposes.
Nuclear power is at a standstill in many parts of the world, particularly in the North.
Many forces are driving this trend, including questions of safety, waste management, economic competitiveness and, perhaps most significantly, public confidence. People throughout the world remain fearful of another severe accident like the one that took place at Chernobyl. On the other hand, the public has become increasingly concerned about the potential impacts of global climate change. If, as many experts agree, climate change poses a threat to the environment, then increased use of fossil fuels carries distinct liabilities. However, for nuclear power to remain an option, the public must be convinced that it's safe and investors must be convinced that it's economically competitive with other energy sources.